This study investigates the effect of Ag doping on the
thermoelectric
properties of the BiSbTe3 (BST) alloy. High-quality BST
alloys were prepared by using the NaCl solvent method, and the most
promising BST(NaCl)6 sample was chosen for Ag doping experiments.
The experimental results demonstrate that Ag doping significantly
enhances the crystal quality and density of the alloy, leading to
increased material mobility, reduced resistivity, and improved power
factor. Ag doping also introduces numerous edge dislocations to the
material. Additionally, highly doped samples contain Ag2Te and BST superlattice structures, which further intensify the scattering
of heat transfer phonons, consequently decreasing the lattice thermal
conductivity significantly. The highly Ag doped samples exhibit a
remarkably low lattice thermal conductivity, reaching as low as 0.3
W m–1 K–1 at 375 K. These modifications
greatly enhance the thermoelectric efficiency of the Ag-doped samples,
leading to increased ZT values. Particularly, samples
with an Ag doping level of x = 0.01 exhibit a maximum ZT value of 1.38 at 425 K, and an average ZT value of 1.2 within the temperature range of 300–450 K. These
findings underscore the wide-ranging application potential of Ag-doped
BiSbTe3 alloys in room-temperature refrigeration and power
generation. The study provides crucial insights into the characteristics
of Ag-doped BiSbTe3 alloys while also contributing to the
optimization of thermoelectric material design and the advancement
of sustainable energy conversion technologies.