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Jiang B, Neu J, Olds D, Kimber SAJ, Page K, Siegrist T. The curious case of the structural phase transition in SnSe insights from neutron total scattering. Nat Commun 2023; 14:3211. [PMID: 37270591 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-38454-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2022] [Accepted: 04/28/2023] [Indexed: 06/05/2023] Open
Abstract
At elevated temperatures SnSe is reported to undergo a structural transition from the low symmetry orthorhombic GeS-type to a higher symmetry orthorhombic TlI-type. Although increasing symmetry should likewise increase lattice thermal conductivity, many experiments on single crystals and polycrystalline materials indicate that this is not the case. Here we present temperature dependent analysis of time-of-flight (TOF) neutron total scattering data in combination with theoretical modeling to probe the local to long-range evolution of the structure. We report that while SnSe is well characterized on average within the high symmetry space group above the transition, over length scales of a few unit cells SnSe remains better characterized in the low symmetry GeS-type space group. Our finding from robust modeling provides further insight into the curious case of a dynamic order-disorder phase transition in SnSe, a model consistent with the soft-phonon picture of the high thermoelectric power above the phase transition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bo Jiang
- Neutron Scattering Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, 37830, USA
- Materials Science and Engineering Department, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, 37996, USA
| | - Jennifer Neu
- National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, 32310, USA
- Dept. of Physics 77 Chieftain Way, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, 32306-4350, USA
- Dept. of Chemistry & Biochemistry 95 Chieftain Way 118 DLC, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, 32306-4390, USA
- Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Nuclear Nonproliferation Division, Oak Ridge, TN, 37831, USA
| | - Daniel Olds
- Neutron Scattering Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, 37830, USA
- National Synchrotron Light Source II, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY, 11973-5000, USA
| | - Simon A J Kimber
- Laboratoire Interdisciplinaire Carnot de Bourgogne, UMR 6303 CNRS-Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, 9 avenue Alain Savary, BP 47870, F-21078, Dijon Cedex, France
| | - Katharine Page
- Neutron Scattering Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, 37830, USA.
- Materials Science and Engineering Department, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, 37996, USA.
| | - Theo Siegrist
- National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, 32310, USA.
- Department of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, FAMU-FSU College of Engineering, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, 32310-6046, USA.
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Gainza J, Serrano-Sánchez F, Dura OJ, Nemes NM, Martínez JL, Fernández-Díaz MT, Alonso JA. Reduced Thermal Conductivity in Nanostructured AgSbTe 2 Thermoelectric Material, Obtained by Arc-Melting. NANOMATERIALS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2022; 12:3910. [PMID: 36364685 PMCID: PMC9653711 DOI: 10.3390/nano12213910] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2022] [Revised: 11/02/2022] [Accepted: 11/04/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
AgSbTe2 intermetallic compound is a promising thermoelectric material. It has also been described as necessary to obtain LAST and TAGS alloys, some of the best performing thermoelectrics of the last decades. Due to the random location of Ag and Sb atoms in the crystal structure, the electronic structure is highly influenced by the atomic ordering of these atoms and makes the accurate determination of the Ag/Sb occupancy of paramount importance. We report on the synthesis of polycrystalline AgSbTe2 by arc-melting, yielding nanostructured dense pellets. SEM images show a conspicuous layered nanostructuration, with a layer thickness of 25-30 nm. Neutron powder diffraction data show that AgSbTe2 crystalizes in the cubic Pm-3m space group, with a slight deficiency of Te, probably due to volatilization during the arc-melting process. The transport properties show some anomalies at ~600 K, which can be related to the onset temperature for atomic ordering. The average thermoelectric figure of merit remains around ~0.6 from ~550 up to ~680 K.
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Affiliation(s)
- Javier Gainza
- Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales de Madrid (ICMM), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz 3, 28049 Madrid, Spain
| | - Federico Serrano-Sánchez
- Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales de Madrid (ICMM), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz 3, 28049 Madrid, Spain
| | - Oscar J. Dura
- Departamento de Física Aplicada, Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, 13071 Ciudad Real, Spain
| | - Norbert M. Nemes
- Departamento de Física de Materiales, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain
| | - Jose Luis Martínez
- Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales de Madrid (ICMM), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz 3, 28049 Madrid, Spain
| | | | - José Antonio Alonso
- Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales de Madrid (ICMM), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz 3, 28049 Madrid, Spain
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Shi X, Tao X, Zou J, Chen Z. High-Performance Thermoelectric SnSe: Aqueous Synthesis, Innovations, and Challenges. ADVANCED SCIENCE (WEINHEIM, BADEN-WURTTEMBERG, GERMANY) 2020; 7:1902923. [PMID: 32274303 PMCID: PMC7141048 DOI: 10.1002/advs.201902923] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2019] [Revised: 12/04/2019] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
Tin selenide (SnSe) is one of the most promising candidates to realize environmentally friendly, cost-effective, and high-performance thermoelectrics, derived from its outstanding electrical transport properties by appropriate bandgaps and intrinsic low lattice thermal conductivity from its anharmonic layered structure. Advanced aqueous synthesis possesses various unique advantages including convenient morphology control, exceptional high doping solubility, and distinctive vacancy engineering. Considering that there is an urgent demand for a comprehensive survey on the aqueous synthesis technique applied to thermoelectric SnSe, herein, a thorough overview of aqueous synthesis, characterization, and thermoelectric performance in SnSe is provided. New insights into the aqueous synthesis-based strategies for improving the performance are provided, including vacancy synergy, crystallization design, solubility breakthrough, and local lattice imperfection engineering, and an attempt to build the inherent links between the aqueous synthesis-induced structural characteristics and the excellent thermoelectric performance is presented. Furthermore, the significant advantages and potentials of an aqueous synthesis route for fabricating SnSe-based 2D thermoelectric generators, including nanorods, nanobelts, and nanosheets, are also discussed. Finally, the controversy, strategy, and outlook toward future enhancement of SnSe-based thermoelectric materials are also provided. This Review guides the design of thermoelectric SnSe with high performance and provides new perspectives as a reference for other thermoelectric systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiao‐Lei Shi
- Centre for Future MaterialsUniversity of Southern QueenslandSpringfield CentralBrisbaneQueensland4300Australia
| | - Xinyong Tao
- College of Materials Science and EngineeringZhejiang University of TechnologyHangzhou310014China
| | - Jin Zou
- School of Mechanical and Mining EngineeringThe University of QueenslandBrisbaneQueensland4072Australia
- Centre for Microscopy and MicroanalysisThe University of QueenslandBrisbaneQueensland4072Australia
| | - Zhi‐Gang Chen
- Centre for Future MaterialsUniversity of Southern QueenslandSpringfield CentralBrisbaneQueensland4300Australia
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Serrano-Sánchez F, Nemes NM, Martínez JL, Juan-Dura O, de la Torre MA, Fernández-Díaz MT, Alonso JA. Structural evolution of a Ge-substituted SnSe thermoelectric material with low thermal conductivity. J Appl Crystallogr 2018. [DOI: 10.1107/s1600576718000808] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Thermoelectric materials are expected to become new alternative sources of sustainable energy. Among them, the SnSe intermetallic alloy has been described as an excellent thermoelectric compound, characterized by an extremely low thermal conductivity with maximum performance at the onset of a structural phase transition at 800 K. Recently, novel SnSe derivatives with Ge substitution have been synthesized by a direct arc-melting technique. This produces nanostructured polycrystalline samples that exhibit a record high Seebeck coefficient, anticipating an excellent performance above room temperature. Here, the structural phase transition from a GeS-type structure (space groupPnma) to a TlI-type structure (space groupCmcm) is investigatedin situ vianeutron powder diffraction (NPD) in the temperature range 298–853 K for the selected composition Sn0.8Ge0.2Se. This transition takes place at 803 K, as shown by differential scanning calorimetry. The analysis from the NPD data shows a non-monotonic behaviour of the anisotropic displacement parameters upon entering the domain of theCmcmstructure. The energies of the atomic vibrations have been quantitatively analysed by fitting the temperature-dependent mean-square displacements to Einstein oscillators. The thermal conductivity of Sn0.8Ge0.2Se is as low as 0.35 W m−1 K−1at 773 K, which mostly represents the lattice thermal contribution.
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