Thermoelectric properties of In0.2Co4Sb12 skutterudites with embedded PbTe or ZnO nanoparticles

Chubilleau, Caroline; Lenoir, Bertrand; Candolfi, Christophe; Masschelein, Philippe; Dauscher, A.; Guilmeau, Emmanuel; Godart, C.

doi:10.1016/j.jallcom.2013.11.204

Cited by 26 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 62 publications

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“…The electron is not easy to be scattered because of the size of the nanoscale second-phase is much larger than the mean free path of the electron, which has little effect on the electrical properties. The preparation of CoSb 3 -based nanocomposites by in-situ generation [78,[167][168][169][170][171][172][173][174][175][176][177] or mechanical addition of nanoinclusions [178][179][180][181][182][183][184][185][186][187][188][189][190][191][192][193] is a common method to introduce the second phase. In x Ce y Co 4 Sb 12 nanocomposites containing in-situ formed InSb nanophases (10-80 nm) were prepared by melt quenching, annealing, and spark plasma sintering [78], as shown in Figs.…”

Section: Low Dimensionalmentioning

confidence: 99%

A review of CoSb3-based skutterudite thermoelectric materials

et al. 2020

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The binary skutterudite CoSb3 is a narrow bandgap semiconductor thermoelectric (TE) material with a relatively flat band structure and excellent electrical performance. However, thermal conductivity is very high because of the covalent bond between Co and Sb, resulting in a very low ZT value. Therefore, researchers have been trying to reduce its thermal conductivity by the different optimization methods. In addition, the synergistic optimization of the electrical and thermal transport parameters is also a key to improve the ZT value of CoSb3 material because the electrical and thermal transport parameters of TE materials are closely related to each other by the band structure and scattering mechanism. This review summarizes the main research progress in recent years to reduce the thermal conductivity of CoSb3-based materials at atomic-molecular scale and nano-mesoscopic scale. We also provide a simple summary of achievements made in recent studies on the non-equilibrium preparation technologies of CoSb3-based materials and synergistic optimization of the electrical and thermal transport parameters. In addition, the research progress of CoSb3-based TE devices in recent years is also briefly discussed.

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Section: Low Dimensionalmentioning

confidence: 99%

A review of CoSb3-based skutterudite thermoelectric materials

et al. 2020

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“…Li et al reported BiSbTe‐based nanocomposites with high ZT values through dispersion of SiC nanoparticles and revealed that the energy filtering effect strongly favors that increasing ZT values increases the Seebeck coefficient and reduces the thermal conductivity. Recently, Chubilleau et al reported that dispersed ZnO nanoinclusions in the CoSb 3 TEs were beneficial for improvement in figure of merit. In addition to nanoparticles, dispersion of nanorods was also expected to improve thermoelectric properties.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Investigation of microstructure and thermoelectric properties of p‐type BiSbTe/ZnO composites

Madavali

Lee

Kim

et al. 2017

Int J Applied Ceramic Tech

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In this research work, p-type BiSbTe/ZnO (2 wt%) nanocomposite powders were fabricated by high-energy ball milling at different milling times, and subsequently, powders were consolidated by spark plasma sintering at 673 K temperature. The existence of nanoinclusions was confirmed by SEM-EDS mapping. Vickers hardness values greatly improved due to reduction in grain size which prevents the crack propagation and dispersion strengthening mechanism. The decrease in carrier density, which plays a critical role in thermoelectrics, dramatically increases the Seebeck coefficient, and subsequently, decreases the electrical conductivity upon the dispersion of ZnO nanorods into the BiSbTe matrix. The thermal conductivity was noticeably reduced by~13% in BiSbTe/ZnO composites for 5-minute samples due to blocking of carriers/phonons at interfaces, and/or grain boundaries. The peak ZT of 0.92 was obtained for BiSbTe matrix, and 0.91 for BiSbTe/ZnO (5 minutes) composites at room temperatures. K E Y W O R D Sball milling, Bi 2 Te 3 alloys, nanocomposites, spark plasma sintering, thermoelectric materials 1 | INTRODUCTION Thermoelectric (TE) materials have been crucially used in renewable energy conversion technologies to overcome the energy crisis in the present world. The efficiency of TE materials can be defined by the dimensionless figure of merit, ZT = (a 2 r/K) T, where a, r, K, and T are the Seebeck coefficient, electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, and absolute temperature, respectively. 1 In general, the temperature gradient develops an electrostatic potential, which is defined as the Seebeck coefficient (a = DV/DT for small DT). The Seebeck coefficient gradually decreases with carrier density, while the electrical conductivity increases. The thermal conductivity is proportional to the carrier density, which is contributed by both electrons and phonons. The ZT should be high, and at least unity (ZT ≥ 1) to maintain the device efficiency over 10%. 2,3 For ambient room temperature (RT) applications, bismuth telluride (Bi 2 Te 3 )-based alloys are much attracted due to their high-energy conversion thermoelectric efficient at RT. 3 So far, many researchers have studied TE properties and reported improved ZT values by forming composite structures and dispersion of nanoinclusions in bulk matrix thereby controlling the Seebeck coefficient and/or electrical conductivity via introduction of energy filtering effect that can filter the low energy electrons and allows only high energy (hot) electrons. 4,5 In addition, thermal conductivity is also reduced by phonon scattering at grain boundaries and/or interfaces between nanoinclusion and matrix. Hsu et al 6 reported enhanced TE properties in the AgPb m SbTe m+2 system with nanoscale inhomogeneous of Ag and Sb embedded in PbTe matrix that can dramatically decrease the thermal conductivity by increasing phonon scattering without affecting the electrical properties. Li et al 7 reported BiSbTe-based nanocomposites with high ZT values through dispersion of SiC nanopartic...

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“…To get insight into the influence of nanoparticle size on thermal conductivity, a theoretical model was applied onto the ZnO‐CoSb 3 system (ZnO dispersed into CoSb 3 matrix). [ 122 ] Assuming a homogeneous dispersion of ZnO particles, the dielectric peak value of the κ l decreased from 50 to 18 W m −1 K −1 ; furthermore, a 25% reduction in κ l was observed after the uniform dispersion of ZnO particles with an average size of 12 nm at 300 K. The same experimental results also proved that the incorporation of oxide nanoparticles resulted in a strong phonon scattering, which contributed to the suppression of thermal conductivity. Various oxide particles were introduced as second phases into traditional thermoelectric materials, as summarized in Figure 7 .…”

Section: Discontinuous Interface Modificationmentioning

confidence: 64%

Current State‐of‐the‐Art in the Interface/Surface Modification of Thermoelectric Materials

Lehmann

Bahrami

et al. 2021

Advanced Energy Materials

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Thermoelectric (TE) materials are prominent candidates for energy converting applications due to their excellent performance and reliability. Extensive efforts for improving their efficiency in single‐/multi‐phase composites comprising nano/micro‐scale second phases are being made. The artificial decoration of second phases into the thermoelectric matrix in multi‐phase composites, which is distinguished from the second‐phase precipitation occurring during the thermally equilibrated synthesis of TE materials, can effectively enhance their performance. Theoretically, the interfacial manipulation of phase boundaries can be extended to a wide range of materials. High interface densities decrease thermal conductivity when nano/micro‐scale grain boundaries are obtained and certain electronic structure modifications may increase the power factor of TE materials. Based on the distribution of second phases on the interface boundaries, the strategies can be divided into discontinuous and continuous interfacial modifications. The discontinuous interfacial modifications section in this review discusses five parts chosen according to their dispersion forms, including metals, oxides, semiconductors, carbonic compounds, and MXenes. Alternatively, gas‐ and solution‐phase process techniques are adopted for realizing continuous surface changes, like the core–shell structure. This review offers a detailed analysis of the current state‐of‐the‐art in the field, while identifying possibilities and obstacles for improving the performance of TE materials.

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Thermoelectric properties of In0.2Co4Sb12 skutterudites with embedded PbTe or ZnO nanoparticles

Cited by 26 publications

References 62 publications

A review of CoSb3-based skutterudite thermoelectric materials

A review of CoSb3-based skutterudite thermoelectric materials

Investigation of microstructure and thermoelectric properties of p‐type BiSbTe/ZnO composites

Current State‐of‐the‐Art in the Interface/Surface Modification of Thermoelectric Materials

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