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Thermoelectric properties of n-type Sr x M y Co4Sb12 (M=Yb, Ba) double-filled skutterudites

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Abstract

Alkaline-earth (AE) and rare-earth (RE) atoms are usually used as void fillers in the caged compound CoSb3 to improve the thermoelectric performance of the filled system. Polycrystalline single-filled Sr0.21Co4Sb12, double-filled Sr x Yb y Co4Sb12, and Sr x Ba y Co4Sb12 skutterudites have been synthesized. Rietveld structure refinement confirms that both Sr and Yb occupy the Sb-icosaedron voids in skutterudite frame work. In this paper, we report the high-temperature thermoelectric properties including electrical conductivity, Seebeck coefficient, and thermal conductivity. Double filling of the Sr–Yb combinations shows a stronger suppression on lattice thermal conductivity than that of Sr–Ba combination. Furthermore, the double-filled Sr x Yb y Co4Sb12 skutterudites exhibit a much higher power factor than the Sr-filled system. The maximum power factor for Sr0.22Yb0.03Co4Sb12.12 reaches 41 μW cm−1 K−2 at room temperature and 57.5 μW cm−1 K−2 at 850 K, respectively. The enhanced thermoelectric figures of merit are 1.32 for Sr x Yb y Co4Sb12 and 1.22 for Sr x Ba y Co4Sb12 at 850 K, respectively.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. CAS Key Laboratory of Materials for Energy Conversion, Shanghai Institute of Ceramics, Chinese-Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 200050, China

    S. Q. Bai, X. Y. Huang, L. D. Chen, X. Y. Zhao & Y. F. Zhou

  2. State Key Laboratory of High Performance Ceramics and Superfine Microstructure, Shanghai Institute of Ceramics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 200050, China

    W. Zhang

  3. Graduate University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China

    S. Q. Bai

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  1. S. Q. Bai
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  2. X. Y. Huang
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  3. L. D. Chen
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  4. W. Zhang
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  5. X. Y. Zhao
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  6. Y. F. Zhou
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Correspondence to L. D. Chen.

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Bai, S.Q., Huang, X.Y., Chen, L.D. et al. Thermoelectric properties of n-type Sr x M y Co4Sb12 (M=Yb, Ba) double-filled skutterudites. Appl. Phys. A 100, 1109–1114 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00339-010-5711-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00339-010-5711-3

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