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Sarkar D, Bhui A, Maria I, Dutta M, Biswas K. Hidden structures: a driving factor to achieve low thermal conductivity and high thermoelectric performance. Chem Soc Rev 2024; 53:6100-6149. [PMID: 38717749 DOI: 10.1039/d4cs00038b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/18/2024]
Abstract
The long-range periodic atomic arrangement or the lack thereof in solids typically dictates the magnitude and temperature dependence of their lattice thermal conductivity (κlat). Compared to crystalline materials, glasses exhibit a much-suppressed κlat across all temperatures as the phonon mean free path reaches parity with the interatomic distances therein. While the occurrence of such glass-like thermal transport in crystalline solids captivates the scientific community with its fundamental inquiry, it also holds the potential for profoundly impacting the field of thermoelectric energy conversion. Therefore, efficient manipulation of thermal transport and comprehension of the microscopic mechanisms dictating phonon scattering in crystalline solids are paramount. As quantized lattice vibrations (i.e., phonons) drive κlat, atomistic insights into the chemical bonding characteristics are crucial to have informed knowledge about their origins. Recently, it has been observed that within the highly symmetric 'averaged' crystal structures, often there are hidden locally asymmetric atomic motifs (within a few Å), which exert far-reaching influence on phonon transport. Phenomena such as local atomic off-centering, atomic rattling or tunneling, liquid-like atomic motion, site splitting, local ordering, etc., which arise within a few Å scales, are generally found to drastically disrupt the passage of heat carrying phonons. Despite their profound implication(s) for phonon dynamics, they are often overlooked by traditional crystallographic techniques. In this review, we provide a brief overview of the fundamental aspects of heat transport and explore the status quo of innately low thermally conductive crystalline solids, wherein the phonon dynamics is majorly governed by local structural phenomena. We also discuss advanced techniques capable of characterizing the crystal structure at the sub-atomic level. Subsequently, we delve into the emergent new ideas with examples linked to local crystal structure and lattice dynamics. While discussing the implications of the local structure for thermal conductivity, we provide the state-of-the-art examples of high-performance thermoelectric materials. Finally, we offer our viewpoint on the experimental and theoretical challenges, potential new paths, and the integration of novel strategies with material synthesis to achieve low κlat and realize high thermoelectric performance in crystalline solids via local structure designing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Debattam Sarkar
- New Chemistry Unit, School of Advanced Materials and International Centre for Materials Science, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), Jakkur P.O., Bangalore 560064, India.
| | - Animesh Bhui
- New Chemistry Unit, School of Advanced Materials and International Centre for Materials Science, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), Jakkur P.O., Bangalore 560064, India.
| | - Ivy Maria
- New Chemistry Unit, School of Advanced Materials and International Centre for Materials Science, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), Jakkur P.O., Bangalore 560064, India.
| | - Moinak Dutta
- New Chemistry Unit, School of Advanced Materials and International Centre for Materials Science, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), Jakkur P.O., Bangalore 560064, India.
| | - Kanishka Biswas
- New Chemistry Unit, School of Advanced Materials and International Centre for Materials Science, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), Jakkur P.O., Bangalore 560064, India.
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Jang H, Toriyama MY, Abbey S, Frimpong B, Snyder GJ, Jung YS, Oh M. Suppressed Lone Pair Electrons Explain Unconventional Rise of Lattice Thermal Conductivity in Defective Crystalline Solids. ADVANCED SCIENCE (WEINHEIM, BADEN-WURTTEMBERG, GERMANY) 2024; 11:e2308075. [PMID: 38626376 PMCID: PMC11200014 DOI: 10.1002/advs.202308075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2023] [Revised: 12/09/2023] [Indexed: 04/18/2024]
Abstract
Manipulating thermal properties of materials can be interpreted as the control of how vibrations of atoms (known as phonons) scatter in a crystal lattice. Compared to a perfect crystal, crystalline solids with defects are expected to have shorter phonon mean free paths caused by point defect scattering, leading to lower lattice thermal conductivities than those without defects. While this is true in many cases, alloying can increase the phonon mean free path in the Cd-doped AgSnSbSe3 system to increase the lattice thermal conductivity from 0.65 to 1.05 W m-1 K-1 by replacing 18% of the Sb sites with Cd. It is found that the presence of lone pair electrons leads to the off-centering of cations from the centrosymmetric position of a cubic lattice. X-ray pair distribution function analysis reveals that this structural distortion is relieved when the electronic configuration of the dopant element cannot produce lone pair electrons. Furthermore, a decrease in the Grüneisen parameter with doping is experimentally confirmed, establishing a relationship between the stereochemical activity of lone pair electrons and the lattice anharmonicity. The observed "harmonic" behavior with doping suggests that lone pair electrons must be preserved to effectively suppress phonon transport in these systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hanhwi Jang
- Department of Materials Science and EngineeringKorea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST)Daejeon34141Republic of Korea
| | - Michael Y. Toriyama
- Department of Materials Science and EngineeringNorthwestern UniversityEvanstonIL60208USA
| | - Stanley Abbey
- Department of Materials Science and EngineeringHanbat National UniversityYuseong‐guDaejeon34158Republic of Korea
| | - Brakowaa Frimpong
- Department of Materials Science and EngineeringHanbat National UniversityYuseong‐guDaejeon34158Republic of Korea
| | - G. Jeffrey Snyder
- Department of Materials Science and EngineeringNorthwestern UniversityEvanstonIL60208USA
| | - Yeon Sik Jung
- Department of Materials Science and EngineeringKorea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST)Daejeon34141Republic of Korea
| | - Min‐Wook Oh
- Department of Materials Science and EngineeringHanbat National UniversityYuseong‐guDaejeon34158Republic of Korea
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Bhui A, Das S, Arora R, Bhat U, Dutta P, Ghosh T, Pathak R, Datta R, Waghmare UV, Biswas K. Hg Doping Induced Reduction in Structural Disorder Enhances the Thermoelectric Performance in AgSbTe 2. J Am Chem Soc 2023; 145:25392-25400. [PMID: 37942795 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.3c09643] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2023]
Abstract
Defect engineering, achieved by precise tuning of the atomic disorder within crystalline solids, forms a cornerstone of structural chemistry. This nuanced approach holds the potential to significantly augment thermoelectric performance by synergistically manipulating the interplay between the charge carrier and lattice dynamics. Here, the current study presents a distinctive investigation wherein the introduction of Hg doping into AgSbTe2 serves to partially curtail structural disorder. This strategic maneuver mitigates potential fluctuations originating from pronounced charge and size disparities between Ag+ and Sb3+, positioned in octahedral sites within the rock salt structure. Hg doping significantly improves the phase stability of AgSbTe2 by restricting the congenital emergence of the Ag2Te minor secondary phase and promotes partial atomic ordering in the cation sublattice. Reduction in atomic disorder coalesced with a complementary modification of electronic structure by Hg doping results in increased carrier mobility. The formation of nanoscale superstructure with sizes (2-5 nm) of the order of phonon mean free path in AgSbTe2 is further promoted by reduced partial disorder, causes enhanced scattering of heat-carrying phonons, and results in a glass-like ultralow lattice thermal conductivity (∼0.32 W m-1 K-1 at 297 K). Cumulatively, the multifaceted influence of Hg doping, in conjunction with the consequential reduction in disorder, allows achieving a high thermoelectric figure-of-merit, zT, of ∼2.4 at ∼570 K. This result defies conventional paradigms that prioritize increased disorder for optimizing zT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Animesh Bhui
- New Chemistry Unit, International Centre for Materials Science and School of Advanced Materials, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), Jakkur P.O., Bangalore 560064, India
| | - Subarna Das
- New Chemistry Unit, International Centre for Materials Science and School of Advanced Materials, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), Jakkur P.O., Bangalore 560064, India
| | - Raagya Arora
- Theoretical Sciences Unit and School of Advanced Materials, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), Jakkur P.O., Bangalore 560064, India
| | - Usha Bhat
- Chemistry and Physics of Materials Unit, International Centre for Materials Science and School of Advanced Materials, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), Jakkur P.O., Bangalore 560064, India
| | - Prabir Dutta
- New Chemistry Unit, International Centre for Materials Science and School of Advanced Materials, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), Jakkur P.O., Bangalore 560064, India
| | - Tanmoy Ghosh
- New Chemistry Unit, International Centre for Materials Science and School of Advanced Materials, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), Jakkur P.O., Bangalore 560064, India
| | - Riddhimoy Pathak
- New Chemistry Unit, International Centre for Materials Science and School of Advanced Materials, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), Jakkur P.O., Bangalore 560064, India
| | - Ranjan Datta
- Chemistry and Physics of Materials Unit, International Centre for Materials Science and School of Advanced Materials, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), Jakkur P.O., Bangalore 560064, India
| | - Umesh V Waghmare
- Theoretical Sciences Unit and School of Advanced Materials, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), Jakkur P.O., Bangalore 560064, India
| | - Kanishka Biswas
- New Chemistry Unit, International Centre for Materials Science and School of Advanced Materials, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), Jakkur P.O., Bangalore 560064, India
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Jang H, Jung YS, Oh MW. Advances in thermoelectric AgBiSe 2: Properties, strategies, and future challenges. Heliyon 2023; 9:e21117. [PMID: 37928035 PMCID: PMC10623285 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e21117] [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: 07/17/2023] [Revised: 10/04/2023] [Accepted: 10/16/2023] [Indexed: 11/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Thermoelectric materials are attracting considerable attention to alleviate the global energy crisis by enabling the direct conversion of heat into electricity. As a class of I-V-VI2 semiconductors, AgBiSe2 is expected to be the potential thermoelectric material to replace conventional PbTe-based compounds due to its non-toxic and abundant nature of its constituent elements. This review article summarizes the fundamental properties of AgBiSe2, thermoelectric properties, the effect of different dopants on its transport properties and entropy engineering for cubic phase stabilization with the detailed description of related techniques used to analyze the properties of AgBiSe2. The current thermoelectric figure-of-merit and approaches to further improve performance and operational stability are also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hanhwi Jang
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, 34141, Republic of Korea
| | - Yeon Sik Jung
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, 34141, Republic of Korea
| | - Min-Wook Oh
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Hanbat National University, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, 34158, Republic of Korea
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Wang Y, Huang S, Raji-Adefila B, Outka A, Wang JH, Chen D. Unraveling the Nature and Role of Layered Cation Ordering in Cation-Disordered Rock-Salt Cathodes. J Am Chem Soc 2022; 144:19838-19848. [PMID: 36257295 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.2c07473] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Cation-disordered rock salts (DRXs), a new class of cathode materials for Li-ion batteries, have attracted a great amount of attention in recent years due to their fascinatingly simple cubic structure, highly diverse composition, and great electrochemical performance. As cations in DRXs are randomly distributed in a long range, how the cations are spatially arranged is an intriguing question for the community of solid-state materials chemistry. In this work, we report the vibrational structure of a series of Mn- and Fe-based DRXs with well-controlled compositions and reveal significant layered-like cation ordering in the DRXs. A scheme is proposed to describe how the layered-like anisotropy could exist in rock salt structures with an overall cubic diffraction pattern. Furthermore, we raise a model of Li-ion transport based on the proposed scheme, which complements the theory of Li percolation in DRXs. The electrochemical behavior of the DRX cathodes used in the study supports the scheme and clearly demonstrates the role of layered anisotropy in the battery performance of DRXs.
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Affiliation(s)
- You Wang
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131, United States
| | - Shengchi Huang
- Department of Chemistry, National Taiwan Normal University, 88, Sec. 4 Ting-Zhou Road, Taipei 11677, Taiwan, R.O.C
| | - Basirat Raji-Adefila
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131, United States
| | - Alexandra Outka
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131, United States
| | - Jeng-Han Wang
- Department of Chemistry, National Taiwan Normal University, 88, Sec. 4 Ting-Zhou Road, Taipei 11677, Taiwan, R.O.C
| | - Dongchang Chen
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131, United States
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Jang H, Toriyama MY, Abbey S, Frimpong B, Male JP, Snyder GJ, Jung YS, Oh MW. Suppressing Charged Cation Antisites via Se Vapor Annealing Enables p-Type Dopability in AgBiSe 2 -SnSe Thermoelectrics. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2022; 34:e2204132. [PMID: 35944565 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202204132] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2022] [Revised: 07/02/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Cation disordering is commonly found in multinary cubic compounds, but its effect on electronic properties has been neglected because of difficulties in determining the ordered structure and defect energetics. An absence of rational understanding of the point defects present has led to poor reproducibility and uncontrolled conduction type. AgBiSe2 is a representative compound that suffers from poor reproducibility of thermoelectric properties, while the origins of its intrinsic n-type conductivity remain speculative. Here, it is demonstrated that cation disordering is facilitated by BiAg charged antisite defects in cubic AgBiSe2 which also act as a principal donor defect that greatly controls the electronic properties. Using density functional theory calculations and in situ Raman spectroscopy, how saturation annealing with selenium vapor can stabilize p-type conductivity in cubic AgBiSe2 alloyed with SnSe at high temperatures is elucidated. With stable and controlled hole concentration, a peak is observed in the weighted mobility and the density-of-states effective mass in AgBiSnSe3 , implying an increased valley degeneracy in this system. These findings corroborate the importance of considering the defect energetics for exploring the dopability of ternary thermoelectric chalcogenides and engineering electronic bands by controlling self-doping.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hanhwi Jang
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, 34141, Republic of Korea
| | - Michael Y Toriyama
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, 60208, USA
| | - Stanley Abbey
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Hanbat National University, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, 34158, Republic of Korea
| | - Brakowaa Frimpong
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Hanbat National University, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, 34158, Republic of Korea
| | - James P Male
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, 60208, USA
| | - G Jeffrey Snyder
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, 60208, USA
| | - Yeon Sik Jung
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, 34141, Republic of Korea
| | - Min-Wook Oh
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Hanbat National University, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, 34158, Republic of Korea
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Xie H, Bozin ES, Li Z, Abeykoon M, Banerjee S, Male JP, Snyder GJ, Wolverton C, Billinge SJL, Kanatzidis MG. Hidden Local Symmetry Breaking in Silver Diamondoid Compounds is Root Cause of Ultralow Thermal Conductivity. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2022; 34:e2202255. [PMID: 35412675 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202202255] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2022] [Revised: 04/02/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Typically, conventional structure transitions occur from a low symmetry state to a higher symmetry state upon warming. In this work, an unexpected local symmetry breaking in the tetragonal diamondoid compound AgGaTe2 is reported, which, upon warming, evolves continuously from an undistorted ground state to a locally distorted state while retaining average crystallographic symmetry. This is a rare phenomenon previously referred to as emphanisis. This distorted state, caused by the weak sd3 orbital hybridization of tetrahedral Ag atoms, causes their displacement off the tetrahedron center and promotes a global distortion of the crystal structure resulting in strong acoustic-optical phonon scattering and an ultralow lattice thermal conductivity of 0.26 W m-1 K-1 at 850 K in AgGaTe2 . The findings explain the underlying reason for the unexpectedly low thermal conductivities of silver-based compounds compared to copper-based analogs and provide a guideline to suppressing heat transport in diamondoid and other materials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongyao Xie
- Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, 60208, USA
| | - Emil S Bozin
- Condensed Matter Physics and Materials Science Division, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY, 11973, USA
| | - Zhi Li
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, 60208, USA
| | - Milinda Abeykoon
- Photon Sciences Division, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY, 11973, USA
| | - Soham Banerjee
- Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Notkestrasse 85, 22607, Hamburg, Germany
| | - James P Male
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, 60208, USA
| | - G Jeffrey Snyder
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, 60208, USA
| | - Christopher Wolverton
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, 60208, USA
| | - Simon J L Billinge
- Condensed Matter Physics and Materials Science Division, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY, 11973, USA
- Department of Applied Physics and Applied Mathematics, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10027, USA
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