Polycrystalline SnSe with a thermoelectric figure of merit greater than the single crystal

Zhou, Chongjian; Lee, Yong Kyu; Yu, Yuan; Byun, Sejin; Luo, Zhong-Zhen; Lee, Hyungseok; Ge, Bangzhi; Lee, Yea-Lee; Chen, Xinqi; Lee, Ji Yeong; Cojocaru-Mirédin, Oana; Chang, Hyunju; Im, Jino; Cho, Sung-Pyo; Wuttig, Matthias; Dravid, Vinayak P.; Kanatzidis, Mercouri G.; Chung, In

doi:10.1038/s41563-021-01064-6

Polycrystalline SnSe with a thermoelectric figure of merit greater than the single crystal

Journal Article · Mon Aug 02 00:00:00 EDT 2021 · Nature Materials

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41563-021-01064-6· OSTI ID:1811595

; Lee, Yong Kyu; ; Byun, Sejin; Luo, Zhong-Zhen; ; Ge, Bangzhi; Lee, Yea-Lee; Chen, Xinqi; Lee, Ji Yeong; ; ; ; Cho, Sung-Pyo; ; ; Kanatzidis, Mercouri G.;

Abstract

Thermoelectric materials generate electric energy from waste heat, with conversion efficiency governed by the dimensionless figure of merit, ZT. Single-crystal tin selenide (SnSe) was discovered to exhibit a high ZT of roughly 2.2–2.6 at 913 K, but more practical and deployable polycrystal versions of the same compound suffer from much poorer overall ZT, thereby thwarting prospects for cost-effective lead-free thermoelectrics. The poor polycrystal bulk performance is attributed to traces of tin oxides covering the surface of SnSe powders, which increases thermal conductivity, reduces electrical conductivity and thereby reduces ZT. Here, we report that hole-doped SnSe polycrystalline samples with reagents carefully purified and tin oxides removed exhibit an ZT of roughly 3.1 at 783 K. Its lattice thermal conductivity is ultralow at roughly 0.07 W m ^–1 K ^–1 at 783 K, lower than the single crystals. The path to ultrahigh thermoelectric performance in polycrystalline samples is the proper removal of the deleterious thermally conductive oxides from the surface of SnSe grains. These results could open an era of high-performance practical thermoelectrics from this high-performance material.

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Research Organization:: Northwestern University, Evanston, IL (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: International Institute for Nanotechnology (IIN); Keck Foundation; National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF); National Science Foundation (NSF); Soft and Hybrid Nanotechnology Experimental Resource; USDOE; USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES)

Grant/Contract Number:: SC0014520

OSTI ID:: 1811595

Alternate ID(s):: OSTI ID: 1904446

Journal Information:: Nature Materials, Journal Name: Nature Materials Journal Issue: 10 Vol. 20; ISSN 1476-1122

Publisher:: Nature Publishing GroupCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United Kingdom

Language:: English

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Polycrystalline SnSe with a thermoelectric figure of merit greater than the single crystal

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