Detrimental Effects of Doping Al and Ba on the Thermoelectric Performance of GeTe

Improved zT in Nb5Ge3-GeTe thermoelectric nanocomposite

Robust electronic transport properties is a crucial in designing high performance thermoelectrics. A key similarity between superconductor and thermoelectric lies in their generally high electrical conductivity, even at above its superconducting temperature. In this work, we design a nanocomposite between Nb₅Ge₃ and GeTe-based thermoelectric to improve its thermoelectric figure of merit zT. Phase and microstructural characterization shows distinct Nb₅Ge₃ precipitates embed in Ge_0.9Sb_0.1Te matrix. In addition, experimental electronic and thermal transport analysis, together with density functional theory calculation were employed to show the synergistic effect of doping Sb and Nb₅Ge₃ nanocomposite approach. 10% Sb doping was found to optimize the electronic properties of the GeTe-based matrix. Further addition of 2 wt% Nb₅Ge₃ nanocomposite to the matrix enhances the phonon scattering, which consequently lowers the lattice thermal conductivity, which results in zT of up to 2.0 at 723 K. Such superconductor nanocomposite approach shown in this work can be employed to enhance the properties of other thermoelectric materials.

Stabilizing the Optimal Carrier Concentration in Al/Sb-Codoped GeTe for High Thermoelectric Performance

GeTe is a promising thermoelectric material and has attracted growing research interest recently. In this study, the effect of Al doping and Al&Sb codoping on the thermoelectric properties of GeTe was investigated. Due to the presence of a high concentration of intrinsic Ge vacancies, pristine GeTe exhibited a very high hole concentration and unpromising thermoelectric performance. By Sb doping in GeTe, the hole concentration can be effectively reduced, thus improving the thermoelectric performance. Aluminum, as a p-type dopant in GeTe, will increase the hole concentration and lattice thermal conductivity; thus, it has long been considered as an unfavorable dopant for the optimization of GeTe-based materials. However, when Al and Sb were codoped into GeTe, the hole concentration was effectively suppressed, and the lattice thermal conductivity can be reduced. Eventually, a maximum zT of ∼2.0 at 773 K was achieved in Al&Sb-codoped Al_0.01Sb_0.1Ge_0.89Te.

High thermoelectric performance by chemical potential tuning and lattice anharmonicity in GeTe1−xIx compounds

Electronic ZT value with chemical potential for rhombohedral α- (black line) and cubic β-phase (red line) (a) and the temperature-dependent ZT value of GeTe_1−xI_x compounds with reference data (b).

A Dynamic Multi-Swarm Particle Swarm Optimizer for Multi-Objective Optimization of Machining Operations Considering Efficiency and Energy Consumption

Facing energy shortage and severe environmental pollution, manufacturing companies need to urgently energy consumption, make rational use of resources and improve economic benefits. This paper formulates a multi-objective optimization model for lathe turning operations which aims to simultaneously minimize energy consumption, machining cost and cutting time. A dynamic multi-swarm particle swarm optimizer (DMS-PSO) is proposed to solve the formulation. A case study is provided to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm. The results show that the DMS-PSO approach can ensure good convergence and diversity of the solution set. Additionally, the optimal machining parameters are identified by fuzzy comprehensive evaluation (FCE) and compared with empirical parameters. It is discovered that the optimal parameters obtained from the proposed algorithm outperform the empirical parameters in all three objectives. The research findings shed new light on energy conservation of machining operations.

Structural and Magnetic Studies of Bulk Nanocomposite Magnets Derived from Rapidly Solidified Pr-(Fe,Co)-(Zr,Nb)-B Alloy

In the present study, the phase constitution, microstructure and magnetic properties of the nanocrystalline magnets, derived from fully amorphous or partially crystalline samples by annealing, were analyzed and compared. The melt-spun ribbons (with a thickness of ~30 µm) and suction-cast 0.5 mm and 1 mm thick plates of the Pr₉Fe₅₀Co₁₃Zr₁Nb₄B₂₃ alloy were soft magnetic in the as-cast state. In order to modify their magnetic properties, the annealing process was carried out at various temperatures from 923K to 1033K for 5 min. The Rietveld refinement of X-ray diffraction patterns combined with the partial or no known crystal structures (PONKCS) method allowed one to quantify the component phases and calculate their crystalline grain sizes. It was shown that the volume fraction of constituent phases and their crystallite sizes for the samples annealed at a particular temperature, dependent on the rapid solidification conditions, and thus a presence or absence of the crystallization nuclei in the as-cast state. Additionally, a thermomagnetic analysis was used as a complementary method to confirm the phase constitution. The hysteresis loops have shown that most of the samples exhibit a remanence enhancement typical for the soft/hard magnetic nanocomposite. Moreover, for the plates annealed at the lowest temperatures, the highest coercivities up to ~1150 kA/m were measured.

Study on Surface Condensate Water Removal and Heat Transfer Performance of a Minichannel Heat Exchanger

The condensate on the surface of the minichannel heat exchanger generated during air cooling substantially reduces the heat transfer performance as it works as an evaporator in the air-conditioning system. This has received much attention in scientific communities. In this paper, the effect of operating parameters on the heat transfer performance of a minichannel heat exchanger (MHE) is investigated under an evaporator working condition. An experimental MHE test system is developed for this purpose, and extensive experimental studies are conducted under a wide range of working conditions using the water-cooling method. The inlet air temperature shows a large effect on the overall heat transfer coefficient, while the inlet air relative humidity shows a large effect on the condensate aggregation rate. The airside heat transfer coefficient increases from 66 to 81 W/(m2·K) when the inlet air temperature increases from 30 to 35 °C. While the condensate aggregation rate on the MHE surface increases by up to 1.8 times when the relative humidity increases from 50% to 70%. The optimal air velocity, 2.5 m/s, is identified in terms of the heat transfer rate and airside heat transfer coefficient of the MHE. It is also found that the heat transfer rate and overall heat transfer coefficient increase as the air velocity increases from 1.5 to 2.5 m/s and decreases above 2.5 m/s. Furthermore, a large amount of condensate accumulates on the MHE surface lowering the MHE heat transfer. The inclined installation angle of the MHE in the wind tunnel effectively enhances heat transfer performance on the MHE surface. The experimental results provide useful information for reducing condensate accumulation and enhancing microchannel heat transfer.

Is LiI a Potential Dopant Candidate to Enhance the Thermoelectric Performance in Sb-Free GeTe Systems? A Prelusive Study

As a workable substitute for toxic PbTe-based thermoelectrics, GeTe-based materials are emanating as reliable alternatives. To assess the suitability of LiI as a dopant in thermoelectric GeTe, a prelusive study of thermoelectric properties of GeTe1−xLiIx (x = 0–0.02) alloys processed by Spark Plasma Sintering (SPS) are presented in this short communication. A maximum thermoelectric figure of merit, zT ~ 1.2, was attained at 773 K for 2 mol% LiI-doped GeTe composition, thanks to the combined benefits of a noted reduction in the thermal conductivity and a marginally improved power factor. The scattering of heat carrying phonons due to the presumable formation of Li-induced “pseudo-vacancies” and nano-precipitates contributed to the conspicuous suppression of lattice thermal conductivity, and consequently boosted the zT of the Sb-free (GeTe)0.98(LiI)0.02 sample when compared to that of pristine GeTe and Sb-rich (GeTe)x(LiSbTe2)2 compounds that were reported earlier.

Preparation and Dielectric Properties of K1/2Na1/2NbO3 Ceramics Obtained from Mechanically Activated Powders

Alkaline based materials have been considered as a replacement for environmentally harmful Pb(Zr,Ti)O₃ (PZT) electro-ceramics. In this paper, the K_1/2Na_1/2NbO₃ (KNN) ceramics were prepared in a three stage process: first Nb₂O₅, Na₂CO_3, and K₂CO₃ were milled in a high energy mill (shaker type) for different periods, between 25 h and 100 h, consecutively a solid state reaction was carried out at 550 °C. Finally, the uniaxially pressed samples were sintered at 1000 °C. The reaction temperature is lower for mechanically activated powders than in the case of the conventional solid-state method. The ceramic samples, prepared from the mechanically activated powders, were investigated by dielectric spectroscopy. The influence of the duration of the mechanical activation on the properties of the ceramic materials, e.g., ceramic microstructures, phase transition temperatures, character of the temperature dependences of dielectric permittivity, are discussed.

Influence of Nanostructuration on PbTe Alloys Synthesized by Arc-Melting

PbTe-based alloys have the best thermoelectric properties for intermediate temperature applications (500-900 K). We report on the preparation of pristine PbTe and two doped derivatives (Pb0.99Sb0.01Te and Ag0.05Sb0.05Pb0.9Te, so-called LAST18) by a fast arc-melting technique, yielding nanostructured polycrystalline pellets. XRD and neutron powder diffraction (NPD) data assessed the a slight Te deficiency for PbTe, also yielding trends on the displacement factors of the 4a and 4b sites of the cubic Fm-3m space group. Interestingly, SEM analysis shows the conspicuous formation of layers assembled as stackings of nano-sheets, with 20-30 nm thickness. TEM analysis shows intra-sheet nanostructuration on the 50 nm scale in the form of polycrystalline grains. Large numbers of grain boundaries are created by this nanostructuration and this may contribute to reduce the thermal conductivity to a record-low value of 1.6 Wm-1K-1 at room temperature. In LAST18, a positive Seebeck coefficient up to 600 μV K-1 at 450 K was observed, contributing further towards improving potential thermoelectric efficiency.