Semiconducting glasses: A new class of thermoelectric materials?
- Instituto Tecnologico e Nuclear, Instituto Superior Tecnico, Universidade Tecnica de Lisboa/CFMC-UL, P-2686-953 Sacavem (Portugal)
- SPCTS, UMR CNRS 7315, Centre Europeen de la Ceramique, 12 rue Atlantis, 87068 Limoges (France)
- Institut Jean Lamour, UMR 7198 CNRS-Nancy Universite-UPVM, Ecole Nationale Superieure des Mines de Nancy, Parc de Saurupt, F-54042 Nancy (France)
- Institut Charles Gerhardt (ICG), UMR 5253 CNRS, Universite de Montpellier 2, 34095 Montpellier (France)
- CNRS, ICMPE, CMTR, 2/8 rue Henri Dunant, 94320 Thiais (France)
The deeper understanding of the factors that affect the dimensionless figure of merit, ZT, and the use of new synthetic methods has recently led to the development of novel systems with improved thermoelectric performances. Albeit up to now with ZT values lower than the conventional bulk materials, semiconducting glasses have also emerged as a new family of potential thermoelectric materials. This paper reviews the latest advances on semiconducting glasses for thermoelectric applications. Key examples of tellurium-based glasses, with high Seebeck coefficients, very low thermal conductivities and tunable electrical conductivities, are presented. ZT values as high as 0.2 were obtained at room temperature for several tellurium-based glasses with high copper concentrations, confirming chalcogenide semiconducting glasses as good candidates for high-performance thermoelectric materials. However, the temperature stability and electrical conductivity of the reported glasses are still not good enough for practical applications and further studies are still needed to enhance them. - Graphical abstract: Power factor as a function of the temperature for the Cu{sub 27.5}Ge{sub 2.5}Te{sub 70} and Cu{sub 30}As{sub 15}Te{sub 55} seniconducting glasses. Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer A review of semiconducting glasses for thermoelectrics applications is presented. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The studied semiconducting glasses present very low thermal conductivities. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Composition can tune electrical conductivity and Seebeck coefficient. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer ZT=0.2 is obtained at 300 K for different semiconducting glasses.
- OSTI ID:
- 22149795
- Journal Information:
- Journal of Solid State Chemistry, Journal Name: Journal of Solid State Chemistry Vol. 193; ISSN 0022-4596; ISSN JSSCBI
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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