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Sarkar D, Bhui A, Maria I, Dutta M, Biswas K. Hidden structures: a driving factor to achieve low thermal conductivity and high thermoelectric performance. Chem Soc Rev 2024; 53:6100-6149. [PMID: 38717749 DOI: 10.1039/d4cs00038b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/18/2024]
Abstract
The long-range periodic atomic arrangement or the lack thereof in solids typically dictates the magnitude and temperature dependence of their lattice thermal conductivity (κlat). Compared to crystalline materials, glasses exhibit a much-suppressed κlat across all temperatures as the phonon mean free path reaches parity with the interatomic distances therein. While the occurrence of such glass-like thermal transport in crystalline solids captivates the scientific community with its fundamental inquiry, it also holds the potential for profoundly impacting the field of thermoelectric energy conversion. Therefore, efficient manipulation of thermal transport and comprehension of the microscopic mechanisms dictating phonon scattering in crystalline solids are paramount. As quantized lattice vibrations (i.e., phonons) drive κlat, atomistic insights into the chemical bonding characteristics are crucial to have informed knowledge about their origins. Recently, it has been observed that within the highly symmetric 'averaged' crystal structures, often there are hidden locally asymmetric atomic motifs (within a few Å), which exert far-reaching influence on phonon transport. Phenomena such as local atomic off-centering, atomic rattling or tunneling, liquid-like atomic motion, site splitting, local ordering, etc., which arise within a few Å scales, are generally found to drastically disrupt the passage of heat carrying phonons. Despite their profound implication(s) for phonon dynamics, they are often overlooked by traditional crystallographic techniques. In this review, we provide a brief overview of the fundamental aspects of heat transport and explore the status quo of innately low thermally conductive crystalline solids, wherein the phonon dynamics is majorly governed by local structural phenomena. We also discuss advanced techniques capable of characterizing the crystal structure at the sub-atomic level. Subsequently, we delve into the emergent new ideas with examples linked to local crystal structure and lattice dynamics. While discussing the implications of the local structure for thermal conductivity, we provide the state-of-the-art examples of high-performance thermoelectric materials. Finally, we offer our viewpoint on the experimental and theoretical challenges, potential new paths, and the integration of novel strategies with material synthesis to achieve low κlat and realize high thermoelectric performance in crystalline solids via local structure designing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Debattam Sarkar
- New Chemistry Unit, School of Advanced Materials and International Centre for Materials Science, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), Jakkur P.O., Bangalore 560064, India.
| | - Animesh Bhui
- New Chemistry Unit, School of Advanced Materials and International Centre for Materials Science, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), Jakkur P.O., Bangalore 560064, India.
| | - Ivy Maria
- New Chemistry Unit, School of Advanced Materials and International Centre for Materials Science, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), Jakkur P.O., Bangalore 560064, India.
| | - Moinak Dutta
- New Chemistry Unit, School of Advanced Materials and International Centre for Materials Science, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), Jakkur P.O., Bangalore 560064, India.
| | - Kanishka Biswas
- New Chemistry Unit, School of Advanced Materials and International Centre for Materials Science, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), Jakkur P.O., Bangalore 560064, India.
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Poppe R, Roth N, Neder RB, Palatinus L, Iversen BB, Hadermann J. Refining short-range order parameters from the three-dimensional diffuse scattering in single-crystal electron diffraction data. IUCRJ 2024; 11:82-91. [PMID: 38096038 PMCID: PMC10833392 DOI: 10.1107/s2052252523010254] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2023] [Accepted: 11/28/2023] [Indexed: 01/10/2024]
Abstract
Our study compares short-range order parameters refined from the diffuse scattering in single-crystal X-ray and single-crystal electron diffraction data. Nb0.84CoSb was chosen as a reference material. The correlations between neighbouring vacancies and the displacements of Sb and Co atoms were refined from the diffuse scattering using a Monte Carlo refinement in DISCUS. The difference between the Sb and Co displacements refined from the diffuse scattering and the Sb and Co displacements refined from the Bragg reflections in single-crystal X-ray diffraction data is 0.012 (7) Å for the refinement on diffuse scattering in single-crystal X-ray diffraction data and 0.03 (2) Å for the refinement on the diffuse scattering in single-crystal electron diffraction data. As electron diffraction requires much smaller crystals than X-ray diffraction, this opens up the possibility of refining short-range order parameters in many technologically relevant materials for which no crystals large enough for single-crystal X-ray diffraction are available.
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Affiliation(s)
- Romy Poppe
- University of Antwerp, Department of Physics, Groenenborgerlaan 171, B-2020 Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Nikolaj Roth
- University of Oxford, Inorganic Chemistry Laboratory, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QR, United Kingdom
| | - Reinhard B. Neder
- Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Kirstallographie und Strukturphysik, Staudtstraße 3, 91058 Erlangen, Germany
| | - Lukas Palatinus
- Czech Academy of Sciences, Department of Structure Analysis, Na Slovance 2, 182 21 Prague, Czechia
| | - Bo Brummerstedt Iversen
- Aarhus University, Department of Chemistry and iNANO, Langelandsgade 140, 8000 Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Joke Hadermann
- University of Antwerp, Department of Physics, Groenenborgerlaan 171, B-2020 Antwerp, Belgium
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Gao Z, Xia K, Nan P, Yin L, Hu C, Li A, Han S, Zhang M, Chen M, Ge B, Zhang Q, Fu C, Zhu T. Selective Scatterings of Phonons and Electrons in Defective Half-Heusler Nb 1- δ CoSb for the Figure of Merit zT > 1. SMALL (WEINHEIM AN DER BERGSTRASSE, GERMANY) 2023; 19:e2302457. [PMID: 37263990 DOI: 10.1002/smll.202302457] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2023] [Revised: 05/24/2023] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
The recently developed defective 19-electron half-Heusler (HH) compounds, represented by Nb1- δ CoSb, possess massive intrinsic vacancies at the cation site and thus intrinsically low lattice thermal conductivity that is desirable for thermoelectric (TE) applications. Yet the TE performance of defective HHs with a maximum figure of merit (zT) <1.0 is still inferior to that of the conventional 18-electron ones. Here, a peak zT exceeding unity is obtained at 1123 K for both Nb0.7 Ta0.13 CoSb and Nb0.6 Ta0.23 CoSb, a benchmark value for defective 19-electron HHs. The improved zT results from the achievement of selective scatterings of phonons and electrons in defective Nb0.83 CoSb, using lanthanide contraction as a design factor to select alloying elements that can strongly impede the phonon propagation but weakly disturb the periodic potential. Despite the massive vacancies induced strong point defect scattering of phonons in Nb0.83 CoSb, Ta alloying is still found effective in suppressing lattice thermal conductivity while maintaining the carrier mobility almost unchanged. In comparison, V alloying significantly deteriorates the carrier transport and thus the TE performance. These results enlarge the category of high-performance HH TE materials beyond the conventional 18-electron ones and highlight the effectiveness of selective scatterings of phonons and electrons in developing TE materials even with massive vacancies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ziheng Gao
- State Key Laboratory of Silicon and Advanced Semiconductor Materials, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China
| | - Kaiyang Xia
- State Key Laboratory of Silicon and Advanced Semiconductor Materials, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China
| | - Pengfei Nan
- Institutes of Physical Science and Information Technology, Anhui University, Hefei, 230601, China
| | - Li Yin
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, and Institute of Materials Genome & Big Data, Harbin Institute of Technology, Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Chaoliang Hu
- State Key Laboratory of Silicon and Advanced Semiconductor Materials, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China
| | - Airan Li
- State Key Laboratory of Silicon and Advanced Semiconductor Materials, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China
| | - Shen Han
- State Key Laboratory of Silicon and Advanced Semiconductor Materials, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China
| | - Min Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Silicon and Advanced Semiconductor Materials, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China
| | - Mengzhao Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Silicon and Advanced Semiconductor Materials, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China
| | - Binghui Ge
- Institutes of Physical Science and Information Technology, Anhui University, Hefei, 230601, China
| | - Qian Zhang
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, and Institute of Materials Genome & Big Data, Harbin Institute of Technology, Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Chenguang Fu
- State Key Laboratory of Silicon and Advanced Semiconductor Materials, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China
- Science and Technology on Advanced Ceramic Fibers and Composites Laboratory, National University of Defense Technology, Changsha, 410073, China
| | - Tiejun Zhu
- State Key Laboratory of Silicon and Advanced Semiconductor Materials, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China
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Roth N, Goodwin AL. Tuning electronic and phononic states with hidden order in disordered crystals. Nat Commun 2023; 14:4328. [PMID: 37468516 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-40063-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2022] [Accepted: 07/06/2023] [Indexed: 07/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Disorder in crystals is rarely random, and instead involves local correlations whose presence and nature are hidden from conventional crystallographic probes. This hidden order can sometimes be controlled, but its importance for physical properties of materials is not well understood. Using simple models for electronic and interatomic interactions, we show how crystals with identical average structures but different types of hidden order can have very different electronic and phononic band structures. Increasing the strength of local correlations within hidden-order states can open band gaps and tune mode (de)localisation-both mechanisms allowing for fundamental changes in physical properties without long-range symmetry breaking. Taken together, our results demonstrate how control over hidden order offers a new mechanism for tuning material properties, orthogonal to the conventional principles of (ordered) structure/property relationships.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nikolaj Roth
- Inorganic Chemistry Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
| | - Andrew L Goodwin
- Inorganic Chemistry Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
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Roth N, Brummerstedt Iversen B. Dynamic correlations and possible diffusion pathway in the superionic conductor Cu 2-xSe. IUCRJ 2023; 10:199-209. [PMID: 36794872 PMCID: PMC9980382 DOI: 10.1107/s2052252523001318] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2022] [Accepted: 02/13/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
The superionic conductor Cu2-xSe has regained interest as a thermoelectric material owing to its low thermal conductivity, suggested to arise from a liquid-like Cu substructure, and the material has been coined a phonon-liquid electron-crystal. Using high-quality three-dimensional X-ray scattering data measured up to large scattering vectors, accurate analysis of both the average crystal structure as well as the local correlations is carried out to shed light on the Cu movements. The Cu ions show large vibrations with extreme anharmonicity and mainly move within a tetrahedron-shaped volume in the structure. From the analysis of weak features in the observed electron density, the possible diffusion pathway of Cu is identified, and it is clear from its low density that jumps between sites are infrequent compared with the time the Cu ions spend vibrating around each site. These findings support the conclusions drawn from recent quasi-elastic neutron scattering data, casting doubt on the phonon-liquid picture. Although there is diffusion of Cu ions in the structure, making it a superionic conductor, the jumps are infrequent and probably not the origin of the low thermal conductivity. From three-dimensional difference pair distribution function analysis of the diffuse scattering data, strongly correlated movements are identified, showing atomic motions which conserve interatomic distances at the cost of large changes in angles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nikolaj Roth
- Center for Integrated Materials Research, Department of Chemistry and iNano, Aarhus University, Aarhus 8000, Denmark
| | - Bo Brummerstedt Iversen
- Center for Integrated Materials Research, Department of Chemistry and iNano, Aarhus University, Aarhus 8000, Denmark
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Welberry TR. Obtaining diffuse scattering patterns from computer simulations - a retrospective. ACTA CRYSTALLOGRAPHICA SECTION B, STRUCTURAL SCIENCE, CRYSTAL ENGINEERING AND MATERIALS 2022; 78:344-355. [PMID: 35695107 DOI: 10.1107/s2052520621012865] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2021] [Accepted: 12/03/2021] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The paper describes how the calculation of diffuse scattering from atomistic model crystals has developed over the last approximately 50 years. Not only has the quality of observed diffuse X-ray scattering data improved immensely with the advent of electronic area detectors and synchrotron radiation but the enormous increase in computer power has enabled patterns, of comparable quality to the observations, to be calculated from a Monte Carlo model.
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Affiliation(s)
- T R Welberry
- Research School of Chemistry, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, 2601, Australia
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Schmidt EM, Thomas S, Bulled JM, Minelli A, Goodwin AL. Interplay of thermal diffuse scattering and correlated compositional disorder in KCl 1–x
Br
x
. ACTA CRYSTALLOGRAPHICA SECTION B STRUCTURAL SCIENCE, CRYSTAL ENGINEERING AND MATERIALS 2022; 78:385-391. [PMID: 35695112 PMCID: PMC9254590 DOI: 10.1107/s2052520622003560] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2022] [Accepted: 03/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Single-crystal diffuse scattering measurements are used to study the interplay of short-range anion order and anharmonic lattice dynamics in the series KCl1–xBrx. Single-crystal X-ray diffuse scattering measurements are reported of the compositional series KCl1–xBrx, a model system for the broader family of disordered rocksalts. Using a combination of Monte Carlo simulations and lattice dynamical calculations, we show that the observed diffuse scattering is well described in terms of (i) non-statistical anion distributions, (ii) local lattice relaxations accompanying Cl/Br substitution, and (iii) the contribution from low-energy phonons. It is found that a tendency for compositional domain formation broadens the thermal diffuse scattering by splitting and softening the acoustic phonon branches. This effect, which is strongest for intermediate compositions, is seen in both experiment and calculation alike. These results establish a link between local compositional order and unconventional lattice dynamics in this system, and reinforce emerging design principles of exploiting compositional fluctuations to tailor physical properties, such as thermal conductivity, that depend on phonon broadening.
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Zhang J, Roth N, Tolborg K, Takahashi S, Song L, Bondesgaard M, Nishibori E, Iversen BB. Direct observation of one-dimensional disordered diffusion channel in a chain-like thermoelectric with ultralow thermal conductivity. Nat Commun 2021; 12:6709. [PMID: 34795243 PMCID: PMC8602660 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-27007-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2021] [Accepted: 10/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Structural disorder, highly effective in reducing thermal conductivity, is important in technological applications such as thermal barrier coatings and thermoelectrics. In particular, interstitial, disordered, diffusive atoms are common in complex crystal structures with ultralow thermal conductivity, but are rarely found in simple crystalline solids. Combining single-crystal synchrotron X-ray diffraction, the maximum entropy method, diffuse scattering, and theoretical calculations, here we report the direct observation of one-dimensional disordered In1+ chains in a simple chain-like thermoelectric InTe, which contains a significant In1+ vacancy along with interstitial indium sites. Intriguingly, the disordered In1+ chains undergo a static-dynamic transition with increasing temperature to form a one-dimensional diffusion channel, which is attributed to a low In1+-ion migration energy barrier along the c direction, a general feature in many other TlSe-type compounds. Our work provides a basis towards understanding ultralow thermal conductivity with weak temperature dependence in TlSe-type chain-like materials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiawei Zhang
- Center for Materials Crystallography, Department of Chemistry and iNANO, Aarhus University, DK-8000, Aarhus, Denmark.
| | - Nikolaj Roth
- Center for Materials Crystallography, Department of Chemistry and iNANO, Aarhus University, DK-8000, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Kasper Tolborg
- Center for Materials Crystallography, Department of Chemistry and iNANO, Aarhus University, DK-8000, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Seiya Takahashi
- Faculty of Pure and Applied Sciences and Tsukuba Research Center for Energy Materials Science (TREMS), University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, 305-8571, Japan
| | - Lirong Song
- Center for Materials Crystallography, Department of Chemistry and iNANO, Aarhus University, DK-8000, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Martin Bondesgaard
- Center for Materials Crystallography, Department of Chemistry and iNANO, Aarhus University, DK-8000, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Eiji Nishibori
- Faculty of Pure and Applied Sciences and Tsukuba Research Center for Energy Materials Science (TREMS), University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, 305-8571, Japan
| | - Bo B Iversen
- Center for Materials Crystallography, Department of Chemistry and iNANO, Aarhus University, DK-8000, Aarhus, Denmark.
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