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Chauhan NS, Bhattacharjee D, Maiti T, Kolen'ko YV, Miyazaki Y, Bhattacharya A. Low Lattice Thermal Conductivity in a Wider Temperature Range for Biphasic-Quaternary (Ti,V)CoSb Half-Heusler Alloys. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2022; 14:54736-54747. [PMID: 36450123 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.2c16595] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Intrinsically high lattice thermal conductivity has remained a major bottleneck for achieving a high thermoelectric figure of merit (zT) in state-of-the-art ternary half-Heusler (HH) alloys. In this work, we report a stable n-type biphasic-quaternary (Ti,V)CoSb HH alloy with a low lattice thermal conductivity κL ≈ 2 W m-1 K-1 within a wide temperature range (300-873 K), which is comparable to the reported nanostructured HH alloys. A solid-state transformation driven by spinodal decomposition upon annealing is observed in Ti0.5V0.5CoSb HH alloy, which remarkably enhances phonon scattering, while electrical properties correlate well with the altering electronic band structure and valence electron count (VEC). A maximum zT ≈ 0.4 (±0.05) at 873 K was attained by substantial lowering of κL and synergistic enhancement of the power factor. We perform first-principles density functional theory calculations to investigate the structure, stability, electronic structure, and transport properties of the synthesized alloy, which rationalize the reduction in the lattice thermal conductivity to the increase in anharmonicity due to the alloying. This study upholds the new possibilities of finding biphasic-quaternary HH compositions with intrinsically reduced κL for prospective thermoelectric applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nagendra S Chauhan
- Department of Applied Physics, Graduate School of Engineering, Tohoku University, Sendai980-8579, Miyagi, Japan
- Nanochemistry Research Group, International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory (INL), Braga4715-330, Portugal
- Department of Material Science & Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur208016, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Dipanwita Bhattacharjee
- Department of Metallurgical Engineering & Material Science, Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai400076, Maharashtra, India
| | - Tanmoy Maiti
- Department of Material Science & Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur208016, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Yury V Kolen'ko
- Nanochemistry Research Group, International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory (INL), Braga4715-330, Portugal
| | - Yuzuru Miyazaki
- Department of Applied Physics, Graduate School of Engineering, Tohoku University, Sendai980-8579, Miyagi, Japan
| | - Amrita Bhattacharya
- Department of Metallurgical Engineering & Material Science, Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai400076, Maharashtra, India
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Yan R, Xie R, Xie W, Shen C, Li W, Balke B, Yoon S, Zhang H, Weidenkaff A. Effects of Doping Ni on the Microstructures and Thermoelectric Properties of Co-Excessive NbCoSn Half-Heusler Compounds. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2021; 13:34533-34542. [PMID: 34279070 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.1c08127] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
The half-Heusler (HH) compound NbCoSn with 18 valence electrons is a promising thermoelectric (TE) material due to its appropriate electrical properties as well as its suitable thermal and chemical stability. Nowadays, doping/substitution and tailoring of microstructures are common experimental approaches to enhance the TE performance of HH compounds. However, detailed theoretical insights into the effects of doping on the microstructures and TE properties are still missing. In this work, the microstructure of NbCoSn was tailored through precipitating the full-Heusler phases in the matrix by changing the nominal ratio of Co and Ni on the Co sites, focusing on the resulting TE properties. Further, first-principles calculations were employed to understand the relationship between the microstructure and the TE properties from the thermodynamic point of view. Detailed analysis of the electronic structure reveals that the presence of excess Co/Ni contributes to the increasing carrier concentration. Through an increase in the electrical conductivity and a reduction in the thermal conductivity, the TE performance is improved. Therefore, the present work offers a new pathway and insights to enhance the TE properties by modifying the microstructure of HH compounds via tailoring the chemical compositions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruijuan Yan
- Department of Materials Science, Technical University of Darmstadt, Darmstadt 64287, Germany
| | - Ruiwen Xie
- Department of Materials Science, Technical University of Darmstadt, Darmstadt 64287, Germany
| | - Wenjie Xie
- Department of Materials Science, Technical University of Darmstadt, Darmstadt 64287, Germany
| | - Chen Shen
- Department of Materials Science, Technical University of Darmstadt, Darmstadt 64287, Germany
| | - Wei Li
- Applied Materials Physics, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm SE-100 44, Sweden
| | - Benjamin Balke
- Fraunhofer Research Institution for Materials Recycling and Resource Strategies IWKS, Hanau 63457, Germany
| | - Songhak Yoon
- Fraunhofer Research Institution for Materials Recycling and Resource Strategies IWKS, Hanau 63457, Germany
| | - Hongbin Zhang
- Department of Materials Science, Technical University of Darmstadt, Darmstadt 64287, Germany
| | - Anke Weidenkaff
- Department of Materials Science, Technical University of Darmstadt, Darmstadt 64287, Germany
- Fraunhofer Research Institution for Materials Recycling and Resource Strategies IWKS, Hanau 63457, Germany
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Pedersen SV, Croteau JR, Kempf N, Zhang Y, Butt DP, Jaques BJ. Novel synthesis and processing effects on the figure of merit for NbCoSn, NbFeSb, and ZrNiSn based half-Heusler thermoelectrics. J SOLID STATE CHEM 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jssc.2020.121203] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
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Yan R, Xie W, Balke B, Chen G, Weidenkaff A. Realizing p-type NbCoSn half-Heusler compounds with enhanced thermoelectric performance via Sc substitution. SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY OF ADVANCED MATERIALS 2020; 21:122-130. [PMID: 32165991 PMCID: PMC7054941 DOI: 10.1080/14686996.2020.1726715] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2019] [Revised: 02/04/2020] [Accepted: 02/04/2020] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
N-type half-Heusler NbCoSn is a promising thermoelectric material due to favourable electronic properties. It has attracted much attention for thermoelectric applications while the desired p-type NbCoSn counterpart shows poor thermoelectric performance. In this work, p-type NbCoSn has been obtained using Sc substitution at the Nb site, and their thermoelectric properties were investigated. Of all samples, Nb0.95Sc0.05CoSn compound shows a maximum power factor of 0.54 mW/mK2 which is the highest among the previously reported values of p-type NbCoSn. With the suppression of thermal conductivity, p-type Nb0.95Sc0.05CoSn compound shows the highest measured figure of merit ZT = 0.13 at 879 K.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruijuan Yan
- Department of Materials Science, Technical University of Darmstadt, Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Wenjie Xie
- Department of Materials Science, Technical University of Darmstadt, Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Benjamin Balke
- Fraunhofer Research Institution for Materials Recycling and Resource Strategies IWKS, Alzenau, Germany
| | - Guoxing Chen
- Department of Materials Science, Technical University of Darmstadt, Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Anke Weidenkaff
- Department of Materials Science, Technical University of Darmstadt, Darmstadt, Germany
- Fraunhofer Research Institution for Materials Recycling and Resource Strategies IWKS, Alzenau, Germany
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Asaad M, Buckman J, Smith R, Bos JW. Phase stability and thermoelectric properties of TiCoSb-TiM2Sn (M = Ni, Fe) Heusler composites. J SOLID STATE CHEM 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jssc.2019.04.041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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Artini C, Carlini R, Spotorno R, Failamani F, Mori T, Mele P. Structural Properties and Thermoelectric Performance of the Double-Filled Skutterudite (Sm,Gd) y(Fe xNi 1-x) 4Sb 12. MATERIALS 2019; 12:ma12152451. [PMID: 31374847 PMCID: PMC6695905 DOI: 10.3390/ma12152451] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2019] [Revised: 07/18/2019] [Accepted: 07/30/2019] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The structural and thermoelectric properties of the filled skutterudite (Sm,Gd)y(FexNi1-x)4Sb12 were investigated and critically compared to the ones in the Sm-containing system with the aim of unravelling the effect of double filling on filling fraction and thermal conductivity. Several samples (x = 0.50–0.90 and y = 0.15–0.48) were prepared by melting-sintering, and two of them were densified by spark plasma sintering in order to study their thermoelectric features. The crystallographic study enables the recognition of the role of the filler size in ruling the filling fraction and the compositional location of the p/n crossover: It has been found that the former lowers and the latter moves toward lower x values with the reduction of the filler ionic size, as a consequence of the progressively weaker interaction of the filler with the Sb12 cavity. The analysis of thermoelectric properties indicates that, despite the Sm3+/Gd3+ small mass difference, the contemporary presence of these ions in the 2a site significantly affects the thermal conductivity of both p- and n-compositions. This occurs by reducing its value with respect to the Sm-filled compound at each temperature considered, and making the overall thermoelectric performance of the system comparable to several multi-filled (Fe, Ni)-based skutterudites described in the literature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cristina Artini
- Department of Chemistry and Industrial Chemistry, University of Genova, Via Dodecaneso 31, Genova 16146, Italy.
- Institute of Condensed Matter Chemistry and Technologies for Energy, National Research Council, CNR-ICMATE, Via De Marini 6, Genova 16146, Italy.
| | - Riccardo Carlini
- Department of Chemistry and Industrial Chemistry, University of Genova, Via Dodecaneso 31, Genova 16146, Italy
| | - Roberto Spotorno
- Department of Chemistry and Industrial Chemistry, University of Genova, Via Dodecaneso 31, Genova 16146, Italy
| | - Fainan Failamani
- National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS), International Center for Materials Nanoarchitectonics (MANA) and Center for Functional Sensor & Actuator (CFSN), Namiki 1-1, Tsukuba 305-0044, Japan
| | - Takao Mori
- National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS), International Center for Materials Nanoarchitectonics (MANA) and Center for Functional Sensor & Actuator (CFSN), Namiki 1-1, Tsukuba 305-0044, Japan
- University of Tsukuba, Graduate School of Pure and Applied Sciences, 1-1-1 Tennoudai, Tsukuba 305-8671, Japan
| | - Paolo Mele
- Shibaura Institute of Technology, Omiya Campus, 307 Fukasaku, Minuma-ku, Saitama City, Saitama 337-8570, Japan
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Abstract
Half-Heuslers (HHs) are promising thermoelectric materials with great compositional flexibility. Here, we extend work on the p-type doping of TiCoSb using abundant elements. Ti0.7V0.3Co0.85Fe0.15Sb0.7Sn0.3 samples with nominal 17.85 p-type electron count were investigated. Samples prepared using powder metallurgy have negative Seebeck values, S ≤ −120 µV K−1, while arc-melted compositions are compensated semiconductors with S = −45 to +30 µV K−1. The difference in thermoelectric response is caused by variations in the degree of segregation of V(Co0.6Fe0.4)2Sn full-Heusler and Sn phases, which selectively absorb V, Fe, and Sn. The segregated microstructure leads to reduced lattice thermal conductivities, κlat = 4.5−7 W m−1 K−1 near room temperature. The largest power factor, S2/ρ = 0.4 mW m−1 K−2 and ZT = 0.06, is observed for the n-type samples at 800 K. This works extends knowledge regarding suitable p-type dopants for TiCoSb.
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Barczak SA, Buckman J, Smith RI, Baker AR, Don E, Forbes I, Bos JWG. Impact of Interstitial Ni on the Thermoelectric Properties of the Half-Heusler TiNiSn. MATERIALS 2018; 11:ma11040536. [PMID: 29601547 PMCID: PMC5951420 DOI: 10.3390/ma11040536] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2018] [Revised: 03/27/2018] [Accepted: 03/28/2018] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
TiNiSn is an intensively studied half-Heusler alloy that shows great potential for waste heat recovery. Here, we report on the structures and thermoelectric properties of a series of metal-rich TiNi1+ySn compositions prepared via solid-state reactions and hot pressing. A general relation between the amount of interstitial Ni and lattice parameter is determined from neutron powder diffraction. High-resolution synchrotron X-ray powder diffraction reveals the occurrence of strain broadening upon hot pressing, which is attributed to the metastable arrangement of interstitial Ni. Hall measurements confirm that interstitial Ni causes weak n-type doping and a reduction in carrier mobility, which limits the power factor to 2.5–3 mW m−1 K−2 for these samples. The thermal conductivity was modelled within the Callaway approximation and is quantitively linked to the amount of interstitial Ni, resulting in a predicted value of 12.7 W m−1 K−1 at 323 K for stoichiometric TiNiSn. Interstitial Ni leads to a reduction of the thermal band gap and moves the peak ZT = 0.4 to lower temperatures, thus offering the possibility to engineer a broad ZT plateau. This work adds further insight into the impact of small amounts of interstitial Ni on the thermal and electrical transport of TiNiSn.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sonia A Barczak
- Institute of Chemical Sciences and Centre for Advanced Energy Storage and Recovery, School of Engineering and Physical Sciences, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh EH14 4AS, UK.
| | - Jim Buckman
- Institute of Petroleum Engineering, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh EH14 4AS, UK.
| | - Ronald I Smith
- ISIS Facility, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Harwell Campus, Didcot OX11 0QX, UK.
| | | | - Eric Don
- SemiMetrics Ltd., Kings Langley WD4 9WB, UK.
- Department of Physics and Engineering, Northumbria University, Newcastle NE1 8ST, UK.
| | - Ian Forbes
- Department of Physics and Engineering, Northumbria University, Newcastle NE1 8ST, UK.
| | - Jan-Willem G Bos
- Institute of Chemical Sciences and Centre for Advanced Energy Storage and Recovery, School of Engineering and Physical Sciences, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh EH14 4AS, UK.
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Tian Y, Zhu H, Ren W, Ghassemi N, Conant E, Wang Z, Ren Z, Ross JH. Native defects and impurity band behavior in half-Heusler thermoelectric NbFeSb. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2018; 20:21960-21967. [DOI: 10.1039/c8cp04287j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Native defects are identified that dominate the electronic behavior and generate impurity-band states in the promising thermoelectric NbFeSb.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yefan Tian
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Texas A&M University
- College Station
- USA
| | - Hangtian Zhu
- Department of Physics, University of Houston
- Houston
- USA
| | - Wuyang Ren
- Department of Physics, University of Houston
- Houston
- USA
- Institute of Fundamental and Frontier Sciences, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China
- Chengdu 610054
| | - Nader Ghassemi
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Texas A&M University
- College Station
- USA
| | - Emily Conant
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Texas A&M University
- College Station
- USA
| | - Zhiming Wang
- Institute of Fundamental and Frontier Sciences, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China
- Chengdu 610054
- China
| | - Zhifeng Ren
- Department of Physics, University of Houston
- Houston
- USA
- Texas Center for Superconductivity at the University of Houston, University of Houston
- Houston
| | - Joseph H. Ross
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Texas A&M University
- College Station
- USA
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Texas A&M University
- College Station
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