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Baskaran P, Rajasekar M. Recent trends and future perspectives of thermoelectric materials and their applications. RSC Adv 2024; 14:21706-21744. [PMID: 38979465 PMCID: PMC11229498 DOI: 10.1039/d4ra03625e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2024] [Accepted: 07/03/2024] [Indexed: 07/10/2024] Open
Abstract
This review explores the ever-evolving landscape of thermoelectric materials, focusing on the latest trends and innovations in ceramics, thermally conductive gel-like materials, metals, nanoparticles, polymers, and silicon. Thermoelectric materials have garnered significant attention for their capability to convert waste heat into electrical power, positioning them as promising candidates for energy harvesting and cooling applications. This review distinguishes itself by highlighting recent advancements in synthesis methods, advanced doping strategies, and nanostructuring techniques that have markedly enhanced material performance. It provides a comprehensive analysis of the controlled properties concerning their synthesis parameters, such as electrical conductivity, Seebeck coefficient, and thermal conductivity. Furthermore, this work delves into the emerging applications of thermoelectric devices across diverse fields, including automotive, aerospace, wearable electronics, and industrial waste heat recovery. By offering forward-looking insights, this review outlines thermoelectric devices' challenges and future prospects, underscoring their potential to contribute to sustainable energy solutions and efficient thermal management systems. By integrating current trends with future projections, this review offers a timely and comprehensive roadmap for researchers and engineers dedicated to advancing next-generation thermoelectric technologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pavithra Baskaran
- Centre for Molecular and Nanomedical Sciences, International Research Centre, Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology (Deemed to be University) Chennai 600 119 Tamilnadu India +91-9710230530
| | - Mani Rajasekar
- Centre for Molecular and Nanomedical Sciences, International Research Centre, Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology (Deemed to be University) Chennai 600 119 Tamilnadu India +91-9710230530
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Chen T, Li S, Chen K, Danish MH, Liu H, Li D, Xin H, Zhang Y, Zhang J, Qin X. Enhancing Thermoelectric Performance of n-Type Bi 2Te 2.7Se 0.3 through Incorporation of Amorphous Si 3N 4 Nanoparticles. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2024; 16:22016-22024. [PMID: 38647228 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.4c02652] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/25/2024]
Abstract
Bi2Te3-based thermoelectric (TE) materials are the state-of-the-art compounds for commercial applications near room temperature. Nevertheless, the application of the n-type Bi2Te2.7Se0.3 (BTS) is restricted by the comparatively low figure of merit (ZT) and intrinsic embrittlement. Here, we show that through dispersion of amorphous Si3N4 (a-Si3N4) nanoparticles both 14% increase in power factor (at 300 K) and 48% decrease in lattice thermal conductivity are simultaneously realized. The increased power factor comes from enhanced thermopower and reduced electrical resistivity while the reduced lattice thermal conductivity originates mainly from scattering of middle- and low-frequency phonons at the incorporated a-Si3N4 nanoparticles. As a result, a large ZTmax = 1.19 (at 373 K) and an average ZTave ∼ 1.12 (300-473 K) with better mechanical properties are achieved for the BTS/0.25 wt % Si3N4 sample. Present results demonstrate that the incorporation of a-Si3N4 is a promising way to improve TE performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tao Chen
- Key Lab of Photovoltaic and Energy Conservation Materials, Institute of Solid State Physics, HFIPS, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei 230031, China
- University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, P. R. China
| | - Shujin Li
- Key Lab of Photovoltaic and Energy Conservation Materials, Institute of Solid State Physics, HFIPS, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei 230031, China
- University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, P. R. China
| | - Ke Chen
- Key Lab of Photovoltaic and Energy Conservation Materials, Institute of Solid State Physics, HFIPS, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei 230031, China
- University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, P. R. China
| | - Mazhar Hussain Danish
- Key Lab of Photovoltaic and Energy Conservation Materials, Institute of Solid State Physics, HFIPS, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei 230031, China
- University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, P. R. China
| | - Hui Liu
- College of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing 210009, China
| | - Di Li
- Key Lab of Photovoltaic and Energy Conservation Materials, Institute of Solid State Physics, HFIPS, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei 230031, China
- University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, P. R. China
| | - Hongxing Xin
- Key Lab of Photovoltaic and Energy Conservation Materials, Institute of Solid State Physics, HFIPS, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei 230031, China
| | - Yongsheng Zhang
- Advanced Research Institute of Multidisciplinary Sciences, Qufu Normal University, Qufu, Shandong 273165, China
| | - Jian Zhang
- Key Lab of Photovoltaic and Energy Conservation Materials, Institute of Solid State Physics, HFIPS, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei 230031, China
- University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, P. R. China
| | - Xiaoying Qin
- Key Lab of Photovoltaic and Energy Conservation Materials, Institute of Solid State Physics, HFIPS, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei 230031, China
- University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, P. R. China
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Pang K, Yuan M, Zhang Q, Li Y, Zhang Y, Zhou W, Wu G, Tan X, Noudem JG, Cui C, Hu H, Wu J, Sun P, Liu GQ, Jiang J. High Performance Thermoelectric Power of Bi 0.5Sb 1.5Te 3 Through Synergistic Cu 2GeSe 3 and Se Incorporations. SMALL (WEINHEIM AN DER BERGSTRASSE, GERMANY) 2024; 20:e2306701. [PMID: 37948419 DOI: 10.1002/smll.202306701] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2023] [Revised: 10/04/2023] [Indexed: 11/12/2023]
Abstract
Bi2Te3-based alloys are the benchmark for commercial thermoelectric (TE) materials, the widespread demand for low-grade waste heat recovery and solid-state refrigeration makes it imperative to enhance the figure-of-merits. In this study, high-performance Bi0.5Sb1.5Te3 (BST) is realized by incorporating Cu2GeSe3 and Se. Concretely, the diffusion of Cu and Ge atoms optimizes the hole concentration and raises the density-of-states effective mass (md *), compensating for the loss of "donor-like effect" exacerbated by ball milling. The subsequent Se addition further increases md *, enabling a total 28% improvement of room-temperature power factor (S2σ), reaching 43.6 µW cm-1 K-2 compared to the matrix. Simultaneously, the lattice thermal conductivity is also significantly suppressed by multiscale scattering sources represented by Cu-rich nanoparticles and dislocation arrays. The synergistic effects yield a peak ZT of 1.41 at 350 K and an average ZT of 1.23 (300-500 K) in the Bi0.5Sb1.5Te2.94Se0.06 + 0.11 wt.% Cu2GeSe3 sample. More importantly, the integrated 17-pair TE module achieves a conversion efficiency of 6.4%, 80% higher than the commercial one at ΔT = 200 K. These results validate that the facile composition optimization of the BST/Cu2GeSe3/Se is a promising strategy to improve the application of BST-based TE modules.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaikai Pang
- School of Material Science and Chemical Engineering, Ningbo University, Ningbo, 315211, China
- Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ningbo, 315201, China
| | - Minhui Yuan
- Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ningbo, 315201, China
- School of Materials, Shenzhen Campus of Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, 518107, China
| | - Qiang Zhang
- Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ningbo, 315201, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Yanan Li
- School of Material Science and Chemical Engineering, Ningbo University, Ningbo, 315211, China
- Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ningbo, 315201, China
| | - Yuyou Zhang
- School of Material Science and Chemical Engineering, Ningbo University, Ningbo, 315211, China
- Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ningbo, 315201, China
| | - Wenjie Zhou
- School of Material Science and Chemical Engineering, Ningbo University, Ningbo, 315211, China
- Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ningbo, 315201, China
| | - Gang Wu
- Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ningbo, 315201, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Xiaojian Tan
- Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ningbo, 315201, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Jacques G Noudem
- ENSICAEN, UNICAEN, CNRS, CRISMAT, Normandie University, Caen, 14000, France
| | - Chen Cui
- Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ningbo, 315201, China
| | - Haoyang Hu
- Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ningbo, 315201, China
| | - Jiehua Wu
- Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ningbo, 315201, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Peng Sun
- Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ningbo, 315201, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Guo-Qiang Liu
- Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ningbo, 315201, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Jun Jiang
- Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ningbo, 315201, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
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Li S, Wang L, Ma D, Jiang Y, Zhang J, Guo K. Construct Amorphous Polymer Interface to Enhance the Thermoelectric Performance of Commercial Bi 0.5Sb 1.5Te 3 Materials. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2024; 16:3586-3592. [PMID: 38199965 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.3c17859] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2024]
Abstract
Interfaces, such as grain boundaries and phase boundaries in thermoelectric (TE) materials, play a crucial role in the carrier/phonon transport. Accurate control of the features of interfaces, including composition, crystalline nature, and thickness may give rise to a promising pathway to break the trade-off between phonon and carrier transport properties, which is essential to design high-performance TE materials. In this work, the amorphous polymer interface (API) layer is introduced to the p-type commercial Bi0.5Sb1.5Te3 (BST) TE material by the liquid-phase sintering process. Due to the larger mismatch in the acoustic impedance or phonon spectra between the amorphous polymer layer and the BST phase, the additional interfacial thermal resistance is introduced, which results in a large decrease in lattice thermal conductivity. It is found that the interfacial thermal resistance at the API is much higher than that of normal grain boundary and hetero interface reported in the literature. Conversely, taking advantage of the strong electron and phonon scattering, a large net get of ZT was achieved. A maximum ZT of ∼1.22 at 350 K was obtained in the BST/polyimide-0.5% sample, which is considerably greater than that of the commercial BST matrix (∼0.99 at 350 K). Furthermore, the optimized BST/polymer sample also exhibited almost 20% enhancement in hardness compared with the pure BST sample. This work has opened a new window for designing high-performance TE composites, which may extend to other material systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuankui Li
- School of Physics and Materials Science, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou 510006, China
- Research Center for Advanced Information Materials (CAIM), Huangpu Research & Graduate School of Guangzhou University, Sino-Singapore Guangzhou Knowledge City, Huangpu District, Guangzhou 510555, China
| | - Liangliang Wang
- School of Physics and Materials Science, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Danning Ma
- School of Physics and Materials Science, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Yuanxin Jiang
- School of Physics and Materials Science, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Jiye Zhang
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shanghai University, 99 Shangda Road, Shanghai 200444, China
| | - Kai Guo
- School of Physics and Materials Science, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou 510006, China
- Research Center for Advanced Information Materials (CAIM), Huangpu Research & Graduate School of Guangzhou University, Sino-Singapore Guangzhou Knowledge City, Huangpu District, Guangzhou 510555, China
- Key Lab of Si-based Information Materials & Devices and Integrated Circuits Design, Department of Education of Guangdong Province, Guangzhou 510006, China
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Geng Y, Li Z, Lin Z, Liu Y, Lai Q, Wu X, Hu L, Liu F, Yu Y, Zhang C. Inhibiting Mg Diffusion and Evaporation by Forming Mg-Rich Reservoir at Grain Boundaries Improves the Thermal Stability of N-Type Mg 3 Sb 2 Thermoelectrics. SMALL (WEINHEIM AN DER BERGSTRASSE, GERMANY) 2024; 20:e2305670. [PMID: 37658521 DOI: 10.1002/smll.202305670] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2023] [Revised: 08/15/2023] [Indexed: 09/03/2023]
Abstract
N-type Mg3 Sb2 -based thermoelectric materials show great promise in power generation due to their mechanical robustness, low cost of Mg, and high figure of merit (ZT) over a wide range of temperatures. However, their poor thermal stability hinders their practical applications. Here, MgB2 is introduced to improve the thermal stability of n-type Mg3 Sb2 . Enabled by MgB2 decomposition, extra Mg can be released into the matrix for Mg compensation thermodynamically, and secondary phases of Mg─B compounds can kinetically prevent Mg diffusion along grain boundaries. These synergetic effects inhibit the formation of Mg vacancies at elevated temperatures, thereby enhancing the thermal stability of n-type Mg3 Sb2 . Consequently, the Mg3.05 (Sb0.75 Bi0.25 )1.99 Te0.01 (MgB2 )0.03 sample exhibits negligible variation in thermoelectric performance during the 120-hour continuous measurement at 673 K. Moreover, the ZT of n-type Mg3 Sb2 can be maintained by adding MgB2 , reaching a high average ZT of ≈1.1 within 300-723 K. An eight-pair Mg3 Sb2 -GeTe-based thermoelectric device is also fabricated, achieving an energy conversion efficiency of ≈5.7% at a temperature difference of 438 K with good thermal stability. This work paves a new way to enhance the long-term thermal stability of n-type Mg3 Sb2 -based alloys and other thermoelectrics for practical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang Geng
- College of Materials Science and Engineering, Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Special Functional Materials, Shenzhen Engineering Laboratory for Advanced Technology of Ceramics, Guangdong Research Center for Interfacial Engineering of Functional Materials, Institute of Deep Underground Sciences and Green Energy, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518060, P. R. China
| | - Zerong Li
- College of Materials Science and Engineering, Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Special Functional Materials, Shenzhen Engineering Laboratory for Advanced Technology of Ceramics, Guangdong Research Center for Interfacial Engineering of Functional Materials, Institute of Deep Underground Sciences and Green Energy, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518060, P. R. China
| | - Zehao Lin
- College of Materials Science and Engineering, Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Special Functional Materials, Shenzhen Engineering Laboratory for Advanced Technology of Ceramics, Guangdong Research Center for Interfacial Engineering of Functional Materials, Institute of Deep Underground Sciences and Green Energy, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518060, P. R. China
| | - Yali Liu
- College of Materials Science and Engineering, Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Special Functional Materials, Shenzhen Engineering Laboratory for Advanced Technology of Ceramics, Guangdong Research Center for Interfacial Engineering of Functional Materials, Institute of Deep Underground Sciences and Green Energy, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518060, P. R. China
| | - Qiangwen Lai
- College of Materials Science and Engineering, Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Special Functional Materials, Shenzhen Engineering Laboratory for Advanced Technology of Ceramics, Guangdong Research Center for Interfacial Engineering of Functional Materials, Institute of Deep Underground Sciences and Green Energy, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518060, P. R. China
| | - Xuelian Wu
- College of Materials Science and Engineering, Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Special Functional Materials, Shenzhen Engineering Laboratory for Advanced Technology of Ceramics, Guangdong Research Center for Interfacial Engineering of Functional Materials, Institute of Deep Underground Sciences and Green Energy, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518060, P. R. China
| | - Lipeng Hu
- College of Materials Science and Engineering, Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Special Functional Materials, Shenzhen Engineering Laboratory for Advanced Technology of Ceramics, Guangdong Research Center for Interfacial Engineering of Functional Materials, Institute of Deep Underground Sciences and Green Energy, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518060, P. R. China
| | - Fusheng Liu
- College of Materials Science and Engineering, Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Special Functional Materials, Shenzhen Engineering Laboratory for Advanced Technology of Ceramics, Guangdong Research Center for Interfacial Engineering of Functional Materials, Institute of Deep Underground Sciences and Green Energy, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518060, P. R. China
| | - Yuan Yu
- Institute of Physics (IA), RWTH Aachen University, 52056, Aachen, Germany
| | - Chaohua Zhang
- College of Materials Science and Engineering, Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Special Functional Materials, Shenzhen Engineering Laboratory for Advanced Technology of Ceramics, Guangdong Research Center for Interfacial Engineering of Functional Materials, Institute of Deep Underground Sciences and Green Energy, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518060, P. R. China
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