Bottom-Up Synthesis of SnTe-Based Thermoelectric Composites

Abstract

There is a need for the development of lead-free thermoelectric materials for medium-/high-temperature applications. Here, we report a thiol-free tin telluride (SnTe) precursor that can be thermally decomposed to produce SnTe crystals with sizes ranging from tens to several hundreds of nanometers. We further engineer SnTe–Cu2SnTe3 nanocomposites with a homogeneous phase distribution by decomposing the liquid SnTe precursor containing a dispersion of Cu1.5Te colloidal nanoparticles. The presence of Cu within the SnTe and the segregated semimetallic Cu2SnTe3 phase effectively improves the electrical conductivity of SnTe while simultaneously reducing the lattice thermal conductivity without compromising the Seebeck coefficient. Overall, power factors up to 3.63 mW m–1 K–2 and thermoelectric figures of merit up to 1.04 are obtained at 823 K, which represent a 167% enhancement compared with pristine SnTe.

Phase-Change Memory from Molecular Tellurides

“…Finally, due to the conformal properties of liquid ink, optical elements such as waveguides could be coated effectively, enabling tunable photonic applications such as reconfigurable non-volatile displays, optical switches, or optical neuromorphic computing . Furthermore, telluride inks, as reported here, also present significant interest to other applications, such as thermoelectrics, , photodetectors, solar cells, and ferroelectric memory . In light of this work, we hope to revive the dormant − field of liquid-processed phase-change materials.…”

Advances in Nanoparticle-Enhanced Thermoelectric Materials from Synthesis to Energy Harvesting: A Review

“…This approach leads to enhanced electrical conductivity and reduced lattice thermal conductivity, resulting in significantly improved thermoelectric performance. The achieved power factors reach up to 3.63 mW m –1 K –2 and figures-of-merit reach up to 1.04 at 823 K. These findings represent a significant advancement over the performance of pure SnTe and have potential implications for medium- to high-temperature applications …”

“…The achieved power factors reach up to 3.63 mW m −1 K −2 and figures-of-merit reach up to 1.04 at 823 K. These findings represent a significant advancement over the performance of pure SnTe and have potential implications for medium-to high-temperature applications. 98 Figure 29 depicts the time−temperature-transformation (TTT) diagram which illustrates the relationship between time, temperature, and structural phases in a metallic liquid with the capacity to undergo glass formation. The critical cooling rate (R c ) prevents crystallization from occurring below the liquidus temperature (T l ), hence preserving the glass transition structure at T g .…”

High Thermoelectric Performance of SnTe–MnSe with Low Lattice Thermal Conductivity

“…The TE properties of materials can be improved by implementing the following approaches: (1) modification of the electronic band structure, Engineering of band convergence , and resonant level can efficiently improve S . This approach has been demonstrated in many TE materials, for instance, SnTe, − PbTe, , half-Heusler alloys, , and Mg 3 Sb 2 ; , (2) adjustment of the defect structures of materials during fabrication can reduce κ L , including point defects (substitution, interstitial defects, and vacancies), − dislocations, − interfaces, − and nanostructures, which have been reported. ,, Because of the large effect of defects on phonon scattering in certain frequency (ω) ranges, full-spectrum phonon scattering can be achieved by including multidimensional defects. − Subsequently, the suppression of κ L at both low and high temperatures has been achieved. − …”