The role of ionized impurity scattering on the thermoelectric performances of rock salt AgPbmSnSe2+m

Abstract

We report on the successful synthesis and on the properties of polycrystalline AgPbmSnSe2+m (m = ++++, 100, 50, 25) samples with a rock salt structure. Between 160 K and 400 K, the dominant scattering process of the carriers in this system changes from acoustic phonon scattering in PbSe to ionized impurity scattering in AgPbmSnSe2+m, which synergistically optimizes electrical and thermal transport properties. Thanks to the faint amount of AgSnSe2, the Seebeck coefficient is enhanced by boosting the scattering factor, the electric conductivity is improved by the increase of the concentration of holes coupled to a limited degradation of their mobility, and the total thermal conductivity is reduced by suppressing bipolar thermal conductivity. Therefore, ZT of AgPbmSnSe2+m (m = 50) reaches 1.3 at 889 K. The mechanism suggested in this study opens new paths to improve the thermoelectric performances of other families of materials.

arXiv comment23 pages, 9 figures, accepted in Advanced Functional Materials

References in corpus (3)

• One-Dimensional Quantum Confinement Effect Modulated Thermoelectric Properties in InAs Nanowires
• P-type doping of elemental bismuth with indium, gallium and tin: a novel doping mechanism in solids
• Anomalous metallic state above the upper critical field of the conventional three-dimensional superconductor AgSnSe2 with strong intrinsic disorder

Cited by in corpus (3)

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• Carrier scattering considerations and thermoelectric power factors of half-Heuslers