Strong anharmonicity induced low lattice thermal conductivity and high thermoelectric performance in (CuInTe2)1−x(AgSbTe2)x system
At a Glance
Section titled “At a Glance”| Metadata | Details |
|---|---|
| Publication Date | 2022-07-04 |
| Journal | Applied Physics Letters |
| Authors | Qihong Xiong, Yanci Yan, Nanhai Li, Bin Zhang, Sikang Zheng |
| Institutions | Chongqing Institute of Green and Intelligent Technology, Chongqing University |
| Citations | 9 |
Abstract
Section titled “Abstract”The suppression of lattice thermal conductivity of thermoelectric CuInTe2 was often realized by complex micrometer-structure control. Herein, we demonstrate that simple alloying AgSbTe2 in CuInTe2 is capable of strongly strengthening lattice anharmonicity, which gives rise to an extremely low lattice thermal conductivity of ∼ 0.62 W m−1 K−1 at 823 K for (CuInTe2)0.95(AgSbTe2)0.05. In addition, the intentionally introduced copper vacancies can effectively increase the carrier concentration and dramatically improve the electrical performance of (CuInTe2)0.95(AgSbTe2)0.05. As a result, the sample with nominal composition of (Cu0.95InTe2)0.95(AgSbTe2)0.05 reaches a maximum zT value of ∼ 1.3 at 823 K. This study provides some insight into designing thermoelectric compounds in the diamond-like semiconductor family by inducing strong anharmonicity through a small amount of alloying.