Structure, electrical and thermal properties of single-crystal BaCuGdTe₃

Abstract

Single crystals of the quaternary chalcogenide BaCuGdTe3 were obtained by direct reaction of elements allowing for a complete investigation of the intrinsic electrical and thermal properties of this previously uninvestigated...

The Substitution of Rare-Earth Gd in BaScCuTe3 Realizing the Band Degeneracy and the Point-Defect Scattering toward Enhanced Thermoelectric Performance

“…In order to obtain a high thermoelectric conversion efficiency, it is necessary to obtain a collaborative optimization of several parameters, where κ lat is a relatively independent parameter in κ total . κ t o t a l = κ l a t t i c e + κ e Through energy band engineering, heterovalent doping, multiscale-defect scattering, and an alloying effect, the thermoelectric properties can be effectively improved. Herein, in light of the metal-like conduction of BaGdCuTe 3 , Gd is considered as a suitable dopant to substitute Sc for optimizing the carrier concentration and realizing the involvement of the second valent band in the electronic transport. Meanwhile, the larger Gd atom is also expected to strengthen the phonon scattering, thus reducing the lattice thermal conductivity ( κ lat ).…”