Half-Heusler alloys as emerging high power density thermoelectric cooling materials

Zhu, Hangtian; Li, Wenjie; Nozariasbmarz, Amin; Liu, Na; Zhang, Yu; Priya, Shashank; Poudel, Bed

doi:10.1038/s41467-023-38446-0

Half-Heusler alloys as emerging high power density thermoelectric cooling materials

Journal Article · Tue Jun 06 00:00:00 EDT 2023 · Nature Communications

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-38446-0· OSTI ID:1983997

; Li, Wenjie; ; Liu, Na; ; ;

Abstract

To achieve optimal thermoelectric performance, it is crucial to manipulate the scattering processes within materials to decouple the transport of phonons and electrons. In half-Heusler (hH) compounds, selective defect reduction can significantly improve performance due to the weak electron-acoustic phonon interaction. This study utilized Sb-pressure controlled annealing process to modulate the microstructure and point defects of Nb _0.55 Ta _0.40 Ti _0.05 FeSb compound, resulting in a 100% increase in carrier mobility and a maximum power factor of 78 µW cm ⁻¹ K ⁻² , approaching the theoretical prediction for NbFeSb single crystal. This approach yielded the highest average zT of ~0.86 among hH in the temperature range of 300-873 K. The use of this material led to a 210% enhancement in cooling power density compared to Bi ₂ Te ₃ -based devices and a conversion efficiency of 12%. These results demonstrate a promising strategy for optimizing hH materials for near-room-temperature thermoelectric applications.

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Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE

Grant/Contract Number:: SC0021118

OSTI ID:: 1983997

Alternate ID(s):: OSTI ID: 2421739

Journal Information:: Nature Communications, Journal Name: Nature Communications Journal Issue: 1 Vol. 14; ISSN 2041-1723

Publisher:: Nature Publishing GroupCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United Kingdom

Language:: English

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Half-Heusler alloys as emerging high power density thermoelectric cooling materials

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