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Material Design Considerations Based on Thermoelectric Quality Factor

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Thermoelectric Nanomaterials

Part of the book series: Springer Series in Materials Science ((SSMATERIALS,volume 182))

Abstract

In this chapter several aspects of the electronic and phonon structure are considered for the design and engineering of advanced thermoelectric materials. For a given compound, its thermoelectric figure of merit, zT, is fully exploited only when the free carrier density is optimized. Achieving higher zT beyond this requires the improvement in the material quality factor B. Using experimental data on lead chalcogenides as well as examples of other good thermoelectric materials, we demonstrate how the fundamental material parameters: effective mass, band anisotropy, deformation potential, and band degeneracy, among others, impact the thermoelectric properties and lead to desirable thermoelectric materials. As the quality factor B is introduced under the assumption of acoustic phonon (deformation potential) scattering, a brief discussion about carrier scattering mechanisms is also included. This simple model with the use of an effective deformation potential coefficient fits the experimental properties of real materials with complex structures and multi-valley Fermi surfaces remarkably well—which is fortunate as these are features likely found in advanced thermoelectric materials.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Materials Science, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, 91125, US

    Heng Wang, Yanzhong Pei, Aaron D. LaLonde & G. Jeffery Snyder

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  1. Heng Wang
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  2. Yanzhong Pei
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  3. Aaron D. LaLonde
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Correspondence to Heng Wang .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Graduate School of Engineering, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Japan

    Kunihito Koumoto

  2. National Institute for Materials Science, Tsukuba, Japan

    Takao Mori

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Wang, H., Pei, Y., LaLonde, A.D., Jeffery Snyder, G. (2013). Material Design Considerations Based on Thermoelectric Quality Factor. In: Koumoto, K., Mori, T. (eds) Thermoelectric Nanomaterials. Springer Series in Materials Science, vol 182. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-37537-8_1

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