Nanoscale FeS2 (Pyrite) as a Sustainable Thermoelectric Material

Uhlig, Christian; Guenes, Ekrem; Schulze, Anne; Elm, Matthias T.; Klar, Peter J.; Schlecht, Sabine

doi:10.1007/s11664-014-3065-x

Cited by 39 publications

(30 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…Pyrite, being an earth-abundant and nontoxic semiconducting material, also requires high temperatures, typically over 180°C, for conventional artificial production using either chemical vapor deposition (41) or hydrothermal synthesis (23,42). Pyrite is considered to have a wide range of industrial applications in solar cells (43,44), lithium batteries (42), photodetectors (45), thermoelectric materials (46), and water-splitting catalysts (47). The low-cost manufacturing of pyrite nanoparticles is much desired for facilitating research toward their industrial application.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The making of natural iron sulfide nanoparticles in a hot vent snail

Okada

Chen

Watsuji

et al. 2019

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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Biomineralization in animals exclusively features oxygen-based minerals with a single exception of the scaly-foot gastropod Chrysomallon squamiferum, the only metazoan with an iron sulfide skeleton. This unique snail inhabits deep-sea hot vents and possesses scales infused with iron sulfide nanoparticles, including pyrite, giving it a characteristic metallic black sheen. Since the scaly-foot is capable of making iron sulfide nanoparticles in its natural habitat at a relatively low temperature (∼15 °C) and in a chemically dynamic vent environment, elucidating its biomineralization pathways is expected to have significant industrial applications for the production of metal chalcogenide nanoparticles. Nevertheless, this biomineralization has remained a mystery for decades since the snail’s discovery, except that it requires the environment to be rich in iron, with a white population lacking in iron sulfide known from a naturally iron-poor locality. Here, we reveal a biologically controlled mineralization mechanism employed by the scaly-foot snail to achieve this nanoparticle biomineralization, through δ34 S measurements and detailed electron-microscopic investigations of both natural scales and scales from the white population artificially incubated in an iron-rich environment. We show that the scaly-foot snail mediates biomineralization in its scales by supplying sulfur through channel-like columns in which reaction with iron ions diffusing inward from the surrounding vent fluid mineralizes iron sulfides.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The making of natural iron sulfide nanoparticles in a hot vent snail

Okada

Chen

Watsuji

et al. 2019

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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“…Pyrite has wide area of applications (Figure ) such as energy storage and conversion field: photovoltaics,, photocatalytic hydrogen production, batteries, supercapacitors, photocapacitors, thermoelectricity;, electronics,, optoelectronics, spintronics; environmental applications; hydrogenation; sensors; agriculture, and emerging biomedical field …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nanocrystalline Pyrite for Photovoltaic Applications

et al. 2018

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Transition metal sulfides (TMSs) are of special interest in energy conversion and storage devices. Amongst all sulfides, fool's gold or iron pyrite (FeS 2 ) is potentially an attractive candidate for photovoltaic applications. Iron pyrite has risen to prominence due to its distinct properties and abundance in nature to meet the large scale needs. It is considered as environmentally benign solar absorber material with high absorption coefficient, α > 6 x10 5 cm À 1 for λ � 700 nm and suitable energy bandgap (E g = 0.95 eV). Numerous physical and chemical methods have been employed to deposit nanocrystalline pyrite thin films directly from source materials or indirectly by sulfuration. This review gives an overview of pyrite as a low cost photovoltaic absorber material for contemporary solar cell structures. In addition, practical approaches like the rational design of nanocomposites, band gap engineering and nanostructure synthesis of pyrite for improving its properties particularly photovoltaic properties are also deliberated. Moreover, limitations, challenges, remedies and prospects of pyrite as potential photovoltaic material are also reviewed to further advance the development of pyrite-based solar cell configurations.[a] Dr.at a low precursor concentration, pyrite nanocubes (125-250 nm in 20-180 min) were obtained due to low nuclei concentration and slow growth (diffusion limited) in quasiequilibrium. The anisotropic structures nanodendrites were 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

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“…These minerals are frequently found together with non-ferrous base metals and precious metals in ores and play an important role in the biogeochemical sulfur cycle and other environmental processes [1][2][3][4]. Pyrite (FeS 2 ) has a cubic crystal lattice composed of low-spin ferrous iron and disulfide S 2 2− groups with a bulk band gap of about 0.95 eV [5][6][7]; it is one of the promising materials for photovoltaic [8,9], battery cathode [10,11], thermoelectric [12] and other applications. Pyrrhotites (Fe 1−x S, 0 < x < 0.2) crystallize in a NiAs-like structure consisting of highspin Fe 2+ , monosulfide anions and a system of ordered cationic vacancies, having a very narrow gap of about 0.05 eV [1,13,14].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hard X-ray photoelectron and X-ray absorption spectroscopy characterization of oxidized surfaces of iron sulfides

Mikhlin

Tomashevich

Vorobyev

et al. 2016

Applied Surface Science

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a b s t r a c tHard X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (HAXPES) using an excitation energy range of 2 keV to 6 keV in combination with Fe K-and S K-edge XANES, measured simultaneously in total electron (TEY) and partial fluorescence yield (PFY) modes, have been applied to study near-surface regions of natural polycrystalline pyrite FeS 2 and pyrrhotite Fe 1−x S before and after etching treatments in an acidic ferric chloride solution. It was found that the following near-surface regions are formed owing to the preferential release of iron from oxidized metal sulfide lattices: (i) a thin, no more than 1-4 nm in depth, outer layer containing polysulfide species, (ii) a layer exhibiting less pronounced stoichiometry deviations and low, if any, concentrations of polysulfide, the composition and dimensions of which vary for pyrite and pyrrhotite and depend on the chemical treatment, and (iii) an extended almost stoichiometric underlayer yielding modified TEY XANES spectra, probably, due to a higher content of defects. We suggest that the extended layered structure should heavily affect the near-surface electronic properties, and processes involving the surface and interfacial charge transfer.

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Nanoscale FeS2 (Pyrite) as a Sustainable Thermoelectric Material

Cited by 39 publications

References 34 publications

The making of natural iron sulfide nanoparticles in a hot vent snail

The making of natural iron sulfide nanoparticles in a hot vent snail

Nanocrystalline Pyrite for Photovoltaic Applications

Hard X-ray photoelectron and X-ray absorption spectroscopy characterization of oxidized surfaces of iron sulfides

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