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High-Temperature Thermoelectric Properties of p-Type Yb-Filled Skutterudite Nanocomposites with FeSb2 Nanoinclusions

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Abstract

Bulk thermoelectric (TE) nanocomposite materials have attracted considerable attention due to their great potential to exhibit higher dimensionless figure of merit ZT. Filled skutterudites of both n-type and p-type have already demonstrated their excellent high-temperature TE performance, good mechanical properties, and thermal stability. Herein, we extend this work to Yb-filled p-type skutterudite nanocomposites with in situ precipitated FeSb2 nanoinclusions. Such a nanocomposite material can be easily synthesized by fine control of starting stoichiometry and the subsequent heat treatment process. By taking advantage of these naturally occurring FeSb2 nanoparticles, we achieve ZT max = 0.74 in Yb0.6Fe2Co2Sb12/0.05FeSb2 at 780 K. We apply the method of four coefficients to calculate the density-of-states effective mass and the carrier scattering parameter. We find that a larger effective mass induced by the presence of nanoparticles is the origin of the enhanced Seebeck coefficient.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA

    Chen Zhou, Jeffery Sakamoto & Donald Morelli

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  1. Chen Zhou
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  2. Jeffery Sakamoto
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  3. Donald Morelli
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Correspondence to Chen Zhou.

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Zhou, C., Sakamoto, J. & Morelli, D. High-Temperature Thermoelectric Properties of p-Type Yb-Filled Skutterudite Nanocomposites with FeSb2 Nanoinclusions. J. Electron. Mater. 41, 1030–1035 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11664-011-1831-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11664-011-1831-6

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