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Title: High thermoelectric performance in (Bi0.25Sb0.75)2Te3 due to band convergence and improved by carrier concentration control

Journal Article · · Materials Today
ORCiD logo [1];  [2];  [2];  [3]; ORCiD logo [3];  [3]
  1. Northwestern Univ., Evanston, IL (United States); California Inst. of Technology (CalTech), Pasadena, CA (United States); Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology, Samsung Electronics (South Korea)
  2. California Inst. of Technology (CalTech), Pasadena, CA (United States)
  3. Northwestern Univ., Evanston, IL (United States); California Inst. of Technology (CalTech), Pasadena, CA (United States)

Bi2Te3 has been recognized as an important cooling material for thermoelectric applications. Yet its thermoelectric performance could still be improved. Here we propose a band engineering strategy by optimizing the converging valence bands of Bi2Te3 and Sb2Te3 in the (Bi1-xSbx)2Te3 system when x = 0.75. Band convergence successfully explains the sharp increase in density-of-states effective mass yet relatively constant mobility and optical band gap measurement. This band convergence picture guides the carrier concentration tuning for optimum thermoelectric performance. To synthesize homogeneous textured and optimally doped (Bi0.25Sb0.75)2Te3, excess Te was chosen as the dopant. Uniform control of the optimized thermoelectric composition was achieved by zone-melting which utilizes separate solidus and liquidus compositions to obtain zT = 1.05 (at 300 K) without nanostructuring.

Research Organization:
Energy Frontier Research Centers (EFRC) (United States). Solid-State Solar-Thermal Energy Conversion Center (S3TEC); Massachusetts Inst. of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES)
Grant/Contract Number:
SC0001299; FG02-09ER46577
OSTI ID:
1470452
Journal Information:
Materials Today, Vol. 20, Issue 8; Related Information: S3TEC partners with Massachusetts Institute of Technology (lead); Boston College; Oak Ridge National Laboratory; Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; ISSN 1369-7021
Publisher:
ElsevierCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 129 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

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Advances in Thermoelectric Mg 3 Sb 2 and Its Derivatives journal July 2018
Valleytronics in thermoelectric materials journal February 2018
Manipulation of Band Degeneracy and Lattice Strain for Extraordinary PbTe Thermoelectrics journal January 2020
Melt-Centrifuged (Bi,Sb) 2 Te 3 : Engineering Microstructure toward High Thermoelectric Efficiency journal July 2018
Enhanced Thermoelectric Performance of Cu-incorporated Bi0.5Sb1.5Te3 by Melt Spinning and Spark Plasma Sintering journal November 2019
Beneficial Influence of Co‐Doping on Thermoelectric Efficiency with Respect to Electronic and Thermal Transport Properties journal March 2019
High thermoelectric performance in Bi 0.46 Sb 1.54 Te 3 nanostructured with ZnTe journal January 2018
Grain Boundary Engineering Nanostructured SrTiO 3 for Thermoelectric Applications journal May 2019
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Synergistic modulation of mobility and thermal conductivity in (Bi,Sb) 2 Te 3 towards high thermoelectric performance journal January 2019
The Thermoelectric Properties of Bismuth Telluride journal April 2019
Observation of valence band crossing: the thermoelectric properties of CaZn 2 Sb 2 –CaMg 2 Sb 2 solid solution journal January 2018
A practical field guide to thermoelectrics: Fundamentals, synthesis, and characterization journal June 2018
Complex Band Structures and Lattice Dynamics of Bi 2 Te 3 ‐Based Compounds and Solid Solutions journal April 2019
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Effect of Dislocation Arrays at Grain Boundaries on Electronic Transport Properties of Bismuth Antimony Telluride: Unified Strategy for High Thermoelectric Performance journal April 2018
Compliant and stretchable thermoelectric coils for energy harvesting in miniature flexible devices. text January 2018

Figures / Tables (6)