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Investigation on halogen-doped n-type SnTe thermoelectrics

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Abstract

Recent theoretical predictions and experimental findings on the transport properties of n-type SnTe have triggered extensive researches on this simple binary compound, despite the realization of n-type SnTe being a great challenge. Herein, Cl as a donor dopant can effectively regulate the position of Fermi level in Sn0.6Pb0.4Te matrix and successfully achieve the n-type transport behavior in SnTe. An outstanding power factor of ~ 14.7 µW·cm−1·K−2 at 300 K was obtained for Cl-doped Sn0.6Pb0.4Te sample. By combining the experimental analysis with theoretical calculations, the transport properties of n-type SnTe thermoelectrics doped with different halogen dopants (Cl, Br, and I) were then systematically investigated and estimated. The results demonstrated that Br and I had better doping efficiencies compared with Cl, which contributed to the well-optimized carrier concentrations of ~ 1.03 × 1019 and ~ 1.11 × 1019 cm−3 at 300 K, respectively. The improved n-type carrier concentrations effectively lead to the significant enhancement on the thermoelectric performance of n-type SnTe. Our study further promoted the experimental progress and deep interpretation of the transport features in n-type SnTe thermoelectrics. The present results could also be crucial for the development of n-type counterparts for SnTe-based thermoelectric devices.

摘要

尽管实现n型SnTe是一个巨大的挑战, 但最近关于n型SnTe传输性质的理论预测和实验发现已经引发了对这种简单二元化合物的广泛研究。本工作中, 以Cl作为施主掺杂剂, 通过调节Sn0.6Pb0.4Te中费米能级的位置, 在SnTe中成功实现了n型传输行为。 在300 K时, 最大功率因子在Sn0.6Pb0.4Te0.93Cl0.07中达到了~14.7 µW•cm-1•K‒2。此外, 通过结合实验分析和理论计算, 我们系统性地研究和评估了不同卤素 (Cl, Br和I) 掺杂 在 SnTe 的掺杂效率以及对 n型 SnTe 热电材料性能的影响。结果表明, 相比于 Cl, Br和I具有更高的掺杂效率, 室温载流子浓度分别达到了 ~1.03 × 1019 和 ~1.11 × 1019 cm-3。载流子浓度的提升也有效地优化了n型SnTe的热电性能。本工作促进了SnTe中的n型热电传输特性的深入理解, 这对于开发SnTe基n型热电臂是十分重要的。

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 52002042), the National Postdoctoral Program for Innovative Talents (No. BX20200028), the National Key Research and Development Program of China (No. 2018YFA0702100), China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (No. 2021M690280) and the Natural Science Foundation of Chongqing, China (No. cstc2019jcyj-msxmX0554). L.D.Z. thanks for the support from the National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars (No. 51925101) and the High Performance Computing (HPC) Resources at Beihang University.

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  1. School of Materials Science and Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing, 100191, China

    Chang-Rong Guo, Bing-Chao Qin, Dong-Yang Wang & Li-Dong Zhao

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  1. Chang-Rong Guo
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  2. Bing-Chao Qin
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Guo, CR., Qin, BC., Wang, DY. et al. Investigation on halogen-doped n-type SnTe thermoelectrics. Rare Met. 41, 3803–3814 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12598-022-02076-0

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