Zn-Sb alloys for thermoelectric power generation

Abstract

P-ZmSbs was recently identified as a new high performance p-type thermoelectric material (Caillat et al., 1996). A maximum dimensionless thermoelectric figure of merit of about 1.3 was obtained on p-type P-ZmSb3 samples at a temperature of about 400'C. This is the highest figure of merit ever obtained at this temperature for a p-type thermoelectric material. The possibility of improving ZT values by forming Zm,CdxSb3 solid solutions was studied. Preliminary results obtained on alloys between ZmSb3 and C&Sb3 are presented and show that the lattice thermal conductivity can be reduced.As a result, a maximum ZT value of 1.4 at a temperature of about 250°C was obtained for a sample with a composition Zn3.2Cd0.8Sb3. Initial bonding and stability studies are presented and show that the integration of these materials into devices is possible. The efficiency of a thermoelectric generator using these new materials was calculated and the results show that significant improvements are possible compared to state-of-the-art thermoelectric materials. Some potential applications for these new thermoelectric materials are described. INTRODUCTIONThermoelectric generators convert heat energy directly into electrical energy without moving parts. They are reliable,

Influence of Sedimentation of Atoms on Structural and Thermoelectric Properties of Bi-Sb Alloys

“…[1][2][3][4] Theoretical studies on segmented legs 5,6 state that it is possible to increase the absolute efficiency from about 5% in commercially available materials to 18%. Various compounds are considered as materials for construction of segmented legs, with Bi 2 Te 3 , 5,7,8 skutterudites (e.g., CoSb 3 -based materials), 8,9 lead tellurides, 10,11 silicon-germanium alloys, 12,13 zinc antimonides, 14,15 and Te/Sb/Ge/Ag (TAGS) materials such as (AgSbTe) 0.15 (GeTe) 0.85 , 16,17 being only some of the most commonly investigated.…”

Enhancement of thermoelectric performance of β-Zn4Sb3 through resonant distortion of electronic density of states doped with Gd

“…In order to improve its thermoelectric properties, a doping approach was used to optimize its carrier concentration and reduce its thermal conductivity. For instance, doping of Pb, Bi, Nb, Cu, Cd, Co, Sn, In, Al, Ga, Mg, Ge and Hg [7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19] have been investigated so far. The results showed that, however, only a small amount doping of one of these elements could lead to limited improvement of its thermoelectric performance.…”

Solar thermoelectric generators fabricated on a silicon-on-insulator substrate

“…Meanwhile, the best solar cell is 3-5 times more efficient than thermoelectric devices [4]. Several implementations of TEGs focus on improving its efficiency by exploring advanced thermoelectric materials such as skutterudites [5,6], clathrates [7], Zn-Sb alloys [8], Pb-Te alloys [9][10][11], InGaN alloys [12], and ZnO alloys [13,14]. Higher efficiency TEGs have also been designed by using segmented thermoelectric legs to exploit the operating temperatures of several materials; thereby optimizing heat flow across the thermoelements [15][16][17][18].…”