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Suleiman AA, Parsi A, Razeghi M, Başçı U, Oh S, Pehlivanoğlu D, Jeong HY, Kang K, Kasırga TS. Ion transport induced room-temperature insulator-metal transition in single-crystalline Cu 2Se. NANOSCALE HORIZONS 2024; 9:1137-1145. [PMID: 38764332 DOI: 10.1039/d4nh00003j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/21/2024]
Abstract
Cu2Se is a superionic conductor above 414 K, with ionic conductivities reaching that of molten salts. The superionic behavior results from hopping Cu ions between different crystallographic sites within the Se scaffold. However, the properties of Cu2Se below 414 K are far less known due to experimental limitations imposed by the bulk or polycrystalline samples that have been available so far. Here, we report the synthesis of ultra-thin, large-area single crystalline Cu2Se samples using a chemical vapor deposition method. The as-synthesized Cu2Se crystals exhibit optically and electrically detectable and controllable robust phases at room temperature and above. We demonstrate that Cu ion vacancies can be manipulated to induce an insulator-metal transition, which exhibits 6 orders of magnitude change in the electrical resistance of two terminal devices, accompanied by an optical change in the phase configuration. Our experiments show that the high mobility of the liquid-like Cu ion vacancies in Cu2Se causes macroscopic ordering in the Cu vacancies. Consequently, phase distribution over the crystals is not dictated by the diffusive motion of the ions but by the local energy minima formed due to the phase transition. As a result, long-range vacancy ordering of the crystal below 414 K becomes optically observable at a micrometer scale. This work demonstrates that Cu2Se could be a prototypical system where long-range ordering properties can be studied via electrical and optical methods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abdulsalam Aji Suleiman
- Bilkent University UNAM - Institute of Materials Science and Nanotechnology, Ankara, 06800, Turkey.
| | - Amir Parsi
- Bilkent University UNAM - Institute of Materials Science and Nanotechnology, Ankara, 06800, Turkey.
| | - Mohammadali Razeghi
- Bilkent University UNAM - Institute of Materials Science and Nanotechnology, Ankara, 06800, Turkey.
| | - Uğur Başçı
- Department of Physics, Bilkent University, Ankara 06800, Turkey
| | - Saeyoung Oh
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea
| | | | - Hu Young Jeong
- Graduate School of Semiconductor Materials and Devices Engineering, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), Ulsan 44919, Republic of Korea
| | - Kibum Kang
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea
| | - T Serkan Kasırga
- Bilkent University UNAM - Institute of Materials Science and Nanotechnology, Ankara, 06800, Turkey.
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Zhao X, Yu T, Zhou B, Ning S, Chen X, Qi N, Chen Z. Extremely Low Lattice Thermal Conductivity and Significantly Enhanced Near-Room-Temperature Thermoelectric Performance in α-Cu 2Se through the Incorporation of Porous Carbon. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2024; 16:1333-1341. [PMID: 38153914 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.3c15884] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2023]
Abstract
In this work, a series of Cu2Se/x wt % porous carbon (PC) (x = 0, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8, 1) composite materials were synthesized by ball milling and spark plasma sintering (SPS). The highly ordered porous carbon was synthesized by a hydrothermal method using mesoporous silica (SBA-15) as the template. X-ray diffraction results show that the incorporation of porous carbon induces a phase transition of Cu2Se from the β phase to the α phase. Meanwhile, the addition of porous carbon reduces the carrier concentration from 2.7 × 1021 to 2.45 × 1020 cm-3 by 1 order of magnitude. The decrease of the carrier concentration leads to the reduction of electrical conductivity and the increase of the Seebeck coefficient, which results in the enhancement of the power factor. On the other hand, the incorporation of porous carbon into Cu2Se increases the porosity of the composites and also introduces more interfaces between the two materials, which is evidenced by positron annihilation lifetime measurements. Both pores and interfaces greatly enhance phonon scattering, leading to extremely low lattice thermal conductivity. In addition, the decrease of electrical conductivity also causes a sufficient reduction in electronic thermal conductivity. Due to the above synergistic effects, the thermoelectric performance of the Cu2Se/PC composite is significantly enhanced with a maximum ZT value of 0.92 at 403 K in the Cu2Se/1 wt % PC composite, which is close to that of the Bi2Te3-based materials. Our work shows that α-Cu2Se has great potential for near-room-temperature thermoelectric materials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaodie Zhao
- Department of Physics, Zhejiang University of Science and Technology, Hangzhou 310023, China
| | - Tian Yu
- Hubei Nuclear Solid Physics Key Laboratory, Department of Physics, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China
| | - Bo Zhou
- Department of Radiotherapy, Henan Provincial People's Hospital, People's Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450003, Henan, China
| | - Suiting Ning
- School of Science, Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan 430068, China
| | - Xiangbin Chen
- Hubei Nuclear Solid Physics Key Laboratory, Department of Physics, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China
| | - Ning Qi
- Hubei Nuclear Solid Physics Key Laboratory, Department of Physics, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China
| | - Zhiquan Chen
- Hubei Nuclear Solid Physics Key Laboratory, Department of Physics, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China
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Bo L, Wang W, Zhu J, Li C, Zuo M, Zhao D. Stepwise Alloying in Liquid-like Solid Solutions to Achieve Crystallographic Distortion for Regulating Thermoelectric Transport Behavior. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2023; 15:54478-54487. [PMID: 37970630 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.3c12294] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2023]
Abstract
With the surge of energy consumption, environmental-protection Cu2-xSe thermoelectric materials are increasingly attracting attention. In this work, multilayered structures are constructed in Cu2-xSe solid solutions by alloying (SnSe)0.75(AgBiSe2)0.25, which strongly scatters full-wavelength phonons by carefully regulating the crystallographic distortion. By using the stepwise alloying strategies, crystallographic distortion and the resultant strain fields presented in microstructure were strengthened markedly, which enhanced the phonon scattering. Meanwhile, by adjusting the coalloying content of Ag, Bi, and Sn elements, the carrier and phonon transports were well decoupled in p-type Cu2-xSe, and the thermoelectric performance was significantly enhanced. By optimized power factor as well as depressed heat transport originating from the moderate coalloying, the maximum zT of 1.23 at 750 K was achieved in Cu1.9Se - 1 wt % (SnSe)0.75(AgBiSe2)0.25. This study indicated that the stepwise alloying strategy was a suitable method for optimizing zT of Cu2-xSe.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lin Bo
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Jinan, Jinan 250022, China
| | - Wenying Wang
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Jinan, Jinan 250022, China
| | - Junliang Zhu
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Jinan, Jinan 250022, China
| | - Changcun Li
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Jinan, Jinan 250022, China
| | - Min Zuo
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Jinan, Jinan 250022, China
| | - Degang Zhao
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Jinan, Jinan 250022, China
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Yu T, Ning S, Liu Q, Zhang T, Chen X, Qi N, Su X, Tang X, Chen Z. Balanced High Thermoelectric Performance in n-Type and p-Type CuAgSe Realized through Vacancy Manipulation. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2023; 15:40781-40791. [PMID: 37589126 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.3c08897] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/18/2023]
Abstract
As a liquid-like material, CuAgSe has high carrier mobility and ultralow lattice thermal conductivity. It undergoes an n-p conduction-type transition during β- to α-phase transition with increasing temperature. Moreover, optimization of the thermoelectric performance of CuAgSe is rather difficult, owing to the two-carrier conduction in this material. In this work, we reported the free tuning of the conduction type and thermoelectric performance of CuAgSe by manipulating the cation vacancies. Positron annihilation measurements reveal that the increase in CuAg content can effectively suppress the cation vacancies and reduce the hole carrier concentration, resulting in n-type conduction at high temperatures. Doping with Zn at the Cu sublattice in the CuAg-excessive CuAgSe can further decrease the number of vacancies, leading to a significant decrease in hole carrier concentration. Furthermore, the reduction of vacancies leads to weakening of carrier scattering. As a result, carrier mobility is also enhanced, thus improving the thermoelectric performance of n-type CuAgSe. On the other hand, high-performance p-type CuAgSe can be achieved by decreasing the CuAg content to introduce more cation vacancies. Ultimately, both n-type and p-type CuAgSe with superb thermoelectric performance are obtained, with a zTmax of 0.84 in Cu1.01Ag1.02Zn0.01Se (n-type) and 1.05 in (CuAg)0.96Se (p-type) at 600 K and average zT of 0.77 and 0.94 between 470 and 630 K for n-type and p-type, respectively.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tian Yu
- Hubei Nuclear Solid Physics Key Laboratory, Department of Physics, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China
| | - Suiting Ning
- Hubei Nuclear Solid Physics Key Laboratory, Department of Physics, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China
| | - Qian Liu
- Hubei Nuclear Solid Physics Key Laboratory, Department of Physics, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China
| | - Tingting Zhang
- Hubei Nuclear Solid Physics Key Laboratory, Department of Physics, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China
| | - Xiangbin Chen
- Hubei Nuclear Solid Physics Key Laboratory, Department of Physics, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China
| | - Ning Qi
- Hubei Nuclear Solid Physics Key Laboratory, Department of Physics, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China
| | - Xianli Su
- State Key Laboratory of Advanced Technology for Materials Synthesis and Processing, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Xinfeng Tang
- State Key Laboratory of Advanced Technology for Materials Synthesis and Processing, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Zhiquan Chen
- Hubei Nuclear Solid Physics Key Laboratory, Department of Physics, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China
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Zhang T, Yu T, Ning S, Zhang Z, Qi N, Jiang M, Chen Z. Extremely Low Lattice Thermal Conductivity Leading to Superior Thermoelectric Performance in Cu 4TiSe 4. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2023. [PMID: 37368823 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.3c05602] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/29/2023]
Abstract
Low thermal conductivity is crucial for obtaining a promising thermoelectric (TE) performance in semiconductors. In this work, the TE properties of Cu4TiS4 and Cu4TiSe4 were theoretically investigated by carrying out first-principles calculations and solving Boltzmann transport equations. The calculated results reveal a lower sound velocity in Cu4TiSe4 compared to that in Cu4TiS4, which is due to the weaker chemical bonds in the crystal orbital Hamilton population (COHP) and also the larger atomic mass in Cu4TiSe4. In addition, the strong lattice anharmonicity in Cu4TiSe4 enhances phonon-phonon scattering, which shortens the phonon relaxation time. All of these factors lead to an extremely low lattice thermal conductivity (κL) of 0.11 W m-1 K-1 at room temperature in Cu4TiSe4 compared with that of 0.58 W m-1 K-1 in Cu4TiS4. Owing to the suitable band gaps of Cu4TiS4 and Cu4TiSe4, they also exhibit great electrical transport properties. As a result, the optimal ZT values for p (n)-type Cu4TiSe4 are up to 2.55 (2.88) and 5.04 (5.68) at 300 and 800 K, respectively. For p (n)-type Cu4TiS4, due to its low κL, the ZT can also reach high values over 2 at 800 K. The superior thermoelectric performance in Cu4TiSe4 demonstrates its great potential for applications in thermoelectric conversion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tingting Zhang
- Hubei Nuclear Solid Physics Key Laboratory, Department of Physics, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China
| | - Tian Yu
- Hubei Nuclear Solid Physics Key Laboratory, Department of Physics, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China
| | - Suiting Ning
- Hubei Nuclear Solid Physics Key Laboratory, Department of Physics, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China
| | - Ziye Zhang
- Hubei Nuclear Solid Physics Key Laboratory, Department of Physics, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China
| | - Ning Qi
- Hubei Nuclear Solid Physics Key Laboratory, Department of Physics, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China
| | - Man Jiang
- Department of Nuclear Engineering and Technology, School of Energy and Power Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China
| | - Zhiquan Chen
- Hubei Nuclear Solid Physics Key Laboratory, Department of Physics, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China
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Chen Y, Zhang Y, Uher C, Poudeu PFP. Carrier Mobility Modulation in Cu 2Se Composites Using Coherent Cu 4TiSe 4 Inclusions Leads to Enhanced Thermoelectric Performance. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2022; 14:56817-56826. [PMID: 36520621 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.2c17146] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Carrier transport engineering in bulk semiconductors using inclusion phases often results in the deterioration of carrier mobility (μ) owing to enhanced carrier scattering at phase boundaries. Here, we show by leveraging the temperature-induced structural transition between the α-Cu2Se and β-Cu2Se polymorphs that the incorporation of Cu4TiSe4 inclusions within the Cu2Se matrix results in a gradual large drop in the carrier mobility at temperatures below 400 K (α-Cu2Se), whereas the carrier mobility remains unchanged at higher temperatures, where the β-Cu2Se polymorph dominates. The sharp discrepancy in the electronic transport within the α-Cu2Se and β-Cu2Se matrices is associated with the formation of incoherent α-Cu2Se/Cu4TiSe4 interfaces, owing to the difference in their atomic structures and lattice parameters, which results in enhanced carrier scattering. In contrast, the similarity of the Se sublattices between β-Cu2Se and Cu4TiSe4 gives rise to coherent phase boundaries and good band alignment, which promote carrier transport across the interfaces. Interestingly, the different cation arrangements in Cu4TiSe4 and β-Cu2Se contribute to enhanced phonon scattering at the interfaces, which leads to a reduction in the lattice thermal conductivity. The large reduction in the total thermal conductivity while preserving the high power factor of β-Cu2Se in the (1-x)Cu2Se/(x)Cu4TiSe4 composites results in an improved ZT of 1.2 at 850 K, with an average ZT of 0.84 (500-850 K) for the composite with x = 0.01. This work highlights the importance of structural similarity between the matrix and inclusions when designing thermoelectric materials with improved energy conversion efficiency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yixuan Chen
- Laboratory for Emerging Energy and Electronic Materials (LE3M), Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan48109, United States
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan48109, United States
| | - Yinying Zhang
- Department of Physics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan48109, United States
| | - Ctirad Uher
- Department of Physics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan48109, United States
| | - Pierre F P Poudeu
- Laboratory for Emerging Energy and Electronic Materials (LE3M), Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan48109, United States
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan48109, United States
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Chen Y, Zhang Y, Lu R, Bailey TP, Uher C, Poudeu PFP. Unusual electronic transport in (1 - x)Cu 2Se-( x)CuInSe 2 hierarchical composites. NANOSCALE ADVANCES 2022; 4:4279-4290. [PMID: 36321155 PMCID: PMC9552873 DOI: 10.1039/d2na00230b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2022] [Accepted: 08/19/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
The ability to control the relative density of electronic point defects as well as their energy distribution in semiconductors could afford a systematic modulation of their electronic, optical, and optoelectronic properties. Using a model binary hybrid system Cu2Se-CuInSe2, we have investigated the correlation between phase composition, microstructure, and electronic transport behavior in the synthesized composites. We found that both Cu2Se and CuInSe2 phases coexist at multiple length scales, ranging from sub-ten nanometer to several micrometers, leading to the formation of a hybrid hierarchical microstructure. Astonishingly, the electronic phase diagram of the (1 - x)Cu2Se-(x)CuInSe2 (15% ≤ x ≤ 100%) hierarchical composites remarkably deviates from the trend normally expected for composites between a heavily doped semiconductor (Cu2Se) and a poorly conducting phase (CuInSe2). A sudden 3-fold increase in the electrical conductivity and carrier concentration along with a marginal increase in the carrier mobility is observed for composites at the vicinity of equimolar composition (48% ≤ x ≤ 52%). The carrier concentration increases from ∼1.5 × 1020 cm-3 for the composites with x ≤ 45% to 5.0 × 1020 cm-3 for x = 50%, and remains constant at 4.5 × 1020 cm-3 with x value in the range of 52% < x ≤ 90%, then quickly drops to 8 × 1018 cm-3 for pristine CuInSe2 phase (x = 100%). The atypical electronic behavior was rationalized in the light of the formation of an inter-band (IB) within the band gap, which arises from the hybridization of native electronic point defects from both Cu2Se and CuInSe2 phases in the resulting hierarchical composites. The result points to a new strategy to modulate the electronic structure of semiconductor composites to maximize interaction and coupling between two fundamentally contrasting properties enabling access to electronic hybrid systems with potential applications as interactive and stimuli-responsive multifunctional materials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yixuan Chen
- Laboratory for Emerging Energy and Electronic Materials (LE3M), Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Michigan Ann Arbor MI 48109 USA +1-734-763-4788
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Michigan Ann Arbor MI 48109 USA
| | - Yinying Zhang
- Department of Physics, University of Michigan Ann Arbor MI 48109 USA
| | - Ruiming Lu
- Laboratory for Emerging Energy and Electronic Materials (LE3M), Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Michigan Ann Arbor MI 48109 USA +1-734-763-4788
| | - Trevor P Bailey
- Department of Physics, University of Michigan Ann Arbor MI 48109 USA
| | - Ctirad Uher
- Department of Physics, University of Michigan Ann Arbor MI 48109 USA
| | - Pierre F P Poudeu
- Laboratory for Emerging Energy and Electronic Materials (LE3M), Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Michigan Ann Arbor MI 48109 USA +1-734-763-4788
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Michigan Ann Arbor MI 48109 USA
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Enhanced Thermoelectric Performance of Cu 2Se via Nanostructure and Compositional Gradient. NANOMATERIALS 2022; 12:nano12040640. [PMID: 35214968 PMCID: PMC8879472 DOI: 10.3390/nano12040640] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2022] [Revised: 02/09/2022] [Accepted: 02/10/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Forming co-alloying solid solutions has long been considered as an effective strategy for improving thermoelectric performance. Herein, the dense Cu2−x(MnFeNi)xSe (x = 0–0.09) with intrinsically low thermal conductivity was prepared by a melting-ball milling-hot pressing process. The influences of nanostructure and compositional gradient on the microstructure and thermoelectric properties of Cu2Se were evaluated. It was found that the thermal conductivity decreased from 1.54 Wm−1K−1 to 0.64 Wm−1K−1 at 300 K via the phonon scattering mechanisms caused by atomic disorder and nano defects. The maximum zT value for the Cu1.91(MnFeNi)0.09Se sample was 1.08 at 750 K, which was about 27% higher than that of a pristine sample.
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