No abstract

High-throughput, low-cost, and accurate predictions of thermal properties of new materials would be beneficial in fields ranging from thermal barrier coatings and thermoelectrics to integrated circuits. To date, computational efforts for predicting lattice thermal conductivity (κ L ) have been hampered by the complexity associated with computing multiple phonon interactions. In this work, we develop and validate a semiempirical model for κ L by fitting density functional theory calculations to experimental data. Experimental values for κ L come from new measurements on SrIn 2 O 4 , Ba 2 SnO 4 , Cu 2 ZnSiTe 4 , MoTe 2 , Ba 3 In 2 O 6 , Cu 3 TaTe 4 , SnO, and InI as well as 55 compounds from across the published literature. To capture the anharmonicity in phonon interactions, we incorporate a structural parameter that allows the model to predict κ L within a factor of 1.5 of the experimental value across 4 orders of magnitude in κ L values and over a diverse chemical and structural phase space, with accuracy similar to or better than that of computationally more expensive models.

No abstract

In the search for new thermoelectric materials, high-throughput calculations using a combination of semiempirical models and first principles density functional theory present a path to screen large numbers of compounds for the most promising candidates.

GeSe is a IV-VI semiconductor, like the excellent thermoelectric materials PbTe and SnSe. Orthorhombic GeSe has been predicted theoretically to have good thermoelectric performance but is difficult to dope experimentally. Like PbTe, rhombohedral GeTe has a multivalley band structure, which is ideal for thermoelectrics and also promotes the formation of Ge vacancies to provide enough carriers for electrical transport. Herein, we investigate the thermoelectric properties of GeSe alloyed with AgSbSe , which stabilizes a new rhombohedral structure with higher symmetry that leads to a multivalley Fermi surface and a dramatic increase in carrier concentration. The zT of GeAg Sb Se reaches 0.86 at 710 K, which is 18 times higher than that of pristine GeSe and over four times higher than doped orthorhombic GeSe. Our results open a new avenue towards developing novel thermoelectric materials through crystal phase engineering using a strategy of entropy stabilization of high-symmetry alloys.