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Yin L, Li X, Bao X, Cheng J, Chen C, Zhang Z, Liu X, Cao F, Mao J, Zhang Q. CALPHAD accelerated design of advanced full-Zintl thermoelectric device. Nat Commun 2024; 15:1468. [PMID: 38368428 PMCID: PMC11258146 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-45869-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2023] [Accepted: 02/06/2024] [Indexed: 02/19/2024] Open
Abstract
Since thermoelectric materials have different physical and chemical properties, the design of contact layers requires dedicated efforts, and the welding temperatures are distinctly different. Therefore, a general interface design and connection technology can greatly facilitate the development of thermoelectric devices. Herein, we proposed a screening strategy for the contact materials based on the calculation of phase diagram method, and Mg2Ni has been identified as a matched contact layer for n-type Mg3Sb2-based materials. And this screening strategy can be effectively applied to other thermoelectric materials. By adopting the low-temperature sintering silver nanoparticles technology, the Zintl phase thermoelectric device can be fabricated at low temperature but operate at medium temperature. The single-leg n-type Mg3.15Co0.05SbBi0.99Se0.01 device achieves an efficiency of ~13.3%, and a high efficiency of ~11% at the temperature difference of 430 K has been realized for the Zintl phase thermoelectric device comprised together with p-type Yb0.9Mg0.9Zn1.198Ag0.002Sb2. Additionally, the thermal aging and thermal cycle experiments proved the long-term reliability of the Mg2Ni/Mg3.15Co0.05SbBi0.99Se0.01 interface and the nano-silver sintering joints. Our work paves an effective avenue for the development of advanced devices for thermoelectric power generation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Li Yin
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Shenzhen, 518055, P.R. China
- School of Science, Harbin Institute of Technology, Shenzhen, 518055, P.R. China
| | - Xiaofang Li
- School of Science, Harbin Institute of Technology, Shenzhen, 518055, P.R. China
| | - Xin Bao
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Shenzhen, 518055, P.R. China
| | - Jinxuan Cheng
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Shenzhen, 518055, P.R. China
| | - Chen Chen
- School of Physical Sciences, Great Bay University, Dongguan, 523000, P.R. China
| | - Zongwei Zhang
- Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ningbo, 315201, P.R. China
| | - Xingjun Liu
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Shenzhen, 518055, P.R. China
- State Key Laboratory of Advanced Welding and Joining, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, 150001, P.R. China
| | - Feng Cao
- School of Science, Harbin Institute of Technology, Shenzhen, 518055, P.R. China
| | - Jun Mao
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Shenzhen, 518055, P.R. China
- State Key Laboratory of Advanced Welding and Joining, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, 150001, P.R. China
| | - Qian Zhang
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Shenzhen, 518055, P.R. China.
- State Key Laboratory of Advanced Welding and Joining, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, 150001, P.R. China.
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Tiadi M, Trivedi V, Kumar S, Jain PK, Yadav SK, Gopalan R, Satapathy DK, Battabyal M. Enhanced Thermoelectric Efficiency in P-Type Mg 3Sb 2: Role of Monovalent Atoms Codoping at Mg sites. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2023; 15:20175-20190. [PMID: 37067866 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.3c02151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
Due to natural abundance, low cost, and compatibility with sustainable green technology, Mg3Sb2-based Zintl compounds are comprehensively explored as potential thermoelectric materials for near-room temperature applications. The effective use of these materials in thermoelectric devices requires both p and n-type Mg3Sb2 having comparable thermoelectric efficiency. However, p-type Mg3Sb2 has inferior thermoelectric efficiency efficiency compared to its n-type counterpart due to low electrical conductivity (∼103Sm-1). Here, we show that codoping of monovalent atoms (Li-Ag, and Na-Ag) at the Mg site of Mg3Sb2 produces a synergistic effect and boosts the electrical conductivity, which enhances the thermoelectric properties of p-type Mg3Sb2. While, Ag prefers to occupy the Mg2 site, Li and Na are favorable at the Mg1 site of Mg3Sb2 lattice. Compared to Li-Ag codoping, Na-Ag codoping in Mg3Sb2 is found to be more effective for increasing the charge carrier concentration and significantly augmenting the electrical conductivity. The dominance of the three-phonon scattering mechanism in Li and Li-Ag doped Mg3Sb2 and the four-phonon scattering process for the Na and Na-Ag doped Mg3Sb2 are confirmed. Due to the simultaneous increase in electrical conductivity and decrease in thermal conductivity, the zT value ∼0.8 at 675 K achieved for Mg2.975Na0.02Ag0.005Sb2 is the highest value among p-type Mg3Sb2. Our work shows a constructive approach to enhance the zT of p-type Mg3Sb2 via monovalent atoms codoping at the Mg sites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Minati Tiadi
- International Advanced Research Centre for Powder Metallurgy and New Materials (ARCI), IIT M Research Park, Chennai 600113, India
- Soft Materials Laboratory, Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai 600036, India
| | - Vikrant Trivedi
- International Advanced Research Centre for Powder Metallurgy and New Materials (ARCI), IIT M Research Park, Chennai 600113, India
- Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai 600036, India
| | - Santosh Kumar
- Soft Materials Laboratory, Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai 600036, India
| | - P K Jain
- International Advanced Research Centre for Powder Metallurgy and New Materials (ARCI), Balapur, Hyderabad 500005, Telangana, India
| | - Satyesh Kumar Yadav
- Center for Atomistic Modeling and Materials Design, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai 600036, India
| | - R Gopalan
- International Advanced Research Centre for Powder Metallurgy and New Materials (ARCI), IIT M Research Park, Chennai 600113, India
- Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai 600036, India
| | - Dillip K Satapathy
- Soft Materials Laboratory, Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai 600036, India
| | - Manjusha Battabyal
- International Advanced Research Centre for Powder Metallurgy and New Materials (ARCI), IIT M Research Park, Chennai 600113, India
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Liu Q, Liu XC, Zhang J, Liu KF, Xia SQ. Enhanced Thermoelectric Performance of LiZnSb-Alloyed CaZn 0.4Ag 0.2Sb by Band Engineering. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2021; 13:17809-17816. [PMID: 33830727 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.1c01818] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
LiZnSb is a Zintl phase that has been predicted to be a good material in thermoelectric applications for a long time. However, experimental work indicated that the synthesized LiZnSb materials were p type, and their maximum zT value is only 0.08 at 525 K. CaZn0.4Ag0.2Sb, which belongs to the LiGaGe structure type and is also closely associated with the LiZnSb structure, did show high zT plateaus in a wide range of temperature, with the mixed transition metal Zn/Ag sites regulated. By comparing their crystallographic and electronic band structures, it is evident that the interlayered distances in both compounds have a great effect on the regulation of the corresponding electrical transport properties. When alloying CaZn0.4Ag0.2Sb with LiZnSb, solid solutions form within a specific range, which led to a marked enhancement in the Seebeck coefficient through the orbital alignment and carrier concentration optimization. In addition, a low thermal conductivity was obtained owing to the reduced electronic component. With the above optimization, a maximum zT value of ∼1.3 can be realized for (CaZn0.4Ag0.2Sb)0.87(LiZnSb)0.13 at 873 K, more than twice that of the pristine CaZn0.4Ag0.2Sb and about 10-fold compared to that of LiZnSb. This work may shed new light on the optimization of thermoelectric properties based on Zintl phases, for which the crystal structures are usually very complicated and a direct correlation between the structures and properties is difficult to make.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qian Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Crystal Materials, Institute of Crystal Materials, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong 250100, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiao-Cun Liu
- School of Civil Engineering, Shandong Jiaotong University, Jinan, Shandong 250300, People's Republic of China
| | - Jian Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Crystal Materials, Institute of Crystal Materials, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong 250100, People's Republic of China
| | - Ke-Feng Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Crystal Materials, Institute of Crystal Materials, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong 250100, People's Republic of China
| | - Sheng-Qing Xia
- State Key Laboratory of Crystal Materials, Institute of Crystal Materials, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong 250100, People's Republic of China
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