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The maximum conversion efficiency of a thermoelectric module composed of p- and n-type materials has been widely calculated using a constant property model since the 1950s, but this conventional model is only valid in limited conditions and no Thomson heat is accounted for. Since Thomson heat causes the efficiency under- or over-rated depending on the temperature dependence of Seebeck coefficient, it cannot be ignored especially in large temperature difference between the hot and cold sides. In addition, incorrect Joule heat is taken into consideration for heat flux evaluation of a thermoelectric module at thermal boundaries due to the assumption of constant properties in the conventional model. For this reason, more practical predictions for efficiency and output power and its corresponding optimum conditions of p- and n-type materials need to be revisited. In this study, generic formulae are derived based on a cumulative temperature dependence model including Thomson effect. The formulae reliably predict the maximum efficiency and output power of a thermoelectric module at a large temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electronic band convergence can have a beneficial impact on thermoelectric performance, but finding the right band-converged compositions is still time-consuming. We propose a method for designing a series of compositions with simultaneous band convergence in the high-entropy YbxCa1−xMgyZn2−ySb2 material by zeroing the weighted sum of crystal-field splitting energies of the parent compounds. We found that so-designed compositions have both larger power factors and lower thermal conductivities and that one of these compositions exhibits a large thermoelectric figure of merit value in comparison with to other p-type Zintls. Our material shows high stability both thermally and temporally. We then assembled an all-Zintl single-stage module, nontoxic and free of tellurium, that demonstrates an exceptional heat-to-electricity conversion efficiency exceeding 10% at a temperature difference of 475 kelvin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thermoelectric interface materials (TEiMs) are essential to the development of thermoelectric generators. Common TEiMs use pure metals or binary alloys but have performance stability issues. Conventional selection of TEiMs generally relies on trial-and-error experimentation. We developed a TEiM screening strategy that is based on phase diagram predictions by density functional theory calculations. By combining the phase diagram with electrical resistivity and melting points of potential reaction products, we discovered that the semimetal MgCuSb is a reliable TEiM for high-performance MgAgSb. The MgCuSb/MgAgSb junction exhibits low interfacial contact resistivity (ρc <1 microhm square centimeter) even after annealing at 553 kelvin for 16 days. The fabricated two-pair MgAgSb/Mg3.2Bi1.5Sb0.5 module demonstrated a high conversion efficiency of 9.25% under a 300 kelvin temperature gradient. We performed an international round-robin testing of module performance to confirm the measurement reliability. The strategy can be applied to other thermoelectric materials, filling a vital gap in the development of thermoelectric modules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of anisotropic superexchange and Fe–Fe hoppings on phase transitions in the undoped three-orbital spin-fermion model are investigated to understand the experimentally reported strain effect in BaFe2As2. Monte Carlo simulated phase diagrams show that both the collinear antiferromagnetic and nematic transitions shift toward high temperature with the increasing magnitude of anisotropies, qualitatively consistent with experimental observation. Thus, both the anisotropic superexchange and Fe–Fe hoppings are suggested to be responsible for the variation of the transition temperatures of BaFe2As2 with uniaxial stress. In addition, we observed a 90 degree rotation of the collinear antiferromagnetic order, accompanied with a reversal of the orbital occupancy at the Fermi surface when the sign of the superexchange anisotropy changes, further supporting previous predictions by first principles calculation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Seebeck coefficient is one of the three important properties in thermoelectric materials. Since thermoelectric materials usually work under large temperature difference in real applications, we propose a quasi-steady state method to accurately measure the Seebeck coefficient under large temperature gradient. Compared to other methods, this method is not only highly accurate but also less time consuming. It can measure the Seebeck coefficient in both the temperature heating up and cooling down processes. In this work, a Zintl material (Mg3.15Nb0.05Sb1.5Bi0.49Te0.01) was tested to extract the Seebeck coefficient from room temperature to 573 K. Compared with a commercialized Seebeck coefficient measurement device (ZEM-3), there is ±5% difference between those from ZEM-3 and this method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Semiconducting cubic boron arsenide (c-BAs) has been predicted to have carrier mobility of 1400 square centimeters per volt-second for electrons and 2100 square centimeters per volt-second for holes at room temperature. Using pump-probe transient reflectivity microscopy, we monitored the diffusion of photoexcited carriers in single-crystal c-BAs to obtain their mobility. With near-bandgap 600-nanometer pump pulses, we found a high ambipolar mobility of 1550 ± 120 square centimeters per volt-second, in good agreement with theoretical prediction. Additional experiments with 400-nanometer pumps on the same spot revealed a mobility of >3000 square centimeters per volt-second, which we attribute to hot electrons. The observation of high carrier mobility, in conjunction with high thermal conductivity, enables an enormous number of device applications for c-BAs in high-performance electronics and optoelectronics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Semiconductors with high thermal conductivity and electron-hole mobility are of great importance for electronic and photonic devices as well as for fundamental studies. Among the ultrahigh-thermal conductivity materials, cubic boron arsenide (c-BAs) is predicted to exhibit simultaneously high electron and hole mobilities of >1000 centimeters squared per volt per second. Using the optical transient grating technique, we experimentally measured thermal conductivity of 1200 watts per meter per kelvin and ambipolar mobility of 1600 centimeters squared per volt per second at the same locations on c-BAs samples at room temperature despite spatial variations. Ab initio calculations show that lowering ionized and neutral impurity concentrations is key to achieving high mobility and high thermal conductivity, respectively. The high ambipolar mobilities combined with the ultrahigh thermal conductivity make c-BAs a promising candidate for next-generation electronics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The thermal conductivity across the metal-insulator transition (MIT) of hot-pressed polycrystalline vanadium dioxide (VO2) samples is studied. The change in the total thermal conductivity (k) of hot-pressed VO2 is insignificant across the MIT temperature. By adding copper (Cu) to make (VO2)1-xCux composites with x from 0 to 0.5, we find an increase in the electrical conductivity from 4×104S m-1 to 1×106S m-1 at 120 °C, resulting in an electronic thermal conductivity increase from 0.38W m-1 K-1 for x=0 to 3.8W m-1 K-1 for x=0.3, which is a significant increase. However, the total thermal conductivity did not increase due to the decrease in the value of the Lorenz number by an order of magnitude than its standard value using the Wiedemann-Franz relationship. On the basis of our experimental result, an empirical model is proposed to explain the thermal conductivity behavior of all (VO2)1-xCux samples with different Cu concentrations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seawater electrolysis is an intriguing technology for sustainable hydrogen production that will not exacerbate the global shortage of freshwater or increase carbon emissions. However, due to the undesirable anodic chlorine evolution reaction and the strong corrosiveness of seawater, this technology is significantly hindered by a lack of robust oxygen evolution reaction (OER) electrocatalysts that exhibit high activity, high selectivity, and good stability. Here, we demonstrate a homogeneous multimetallic catalyst consisting of Ni and Fe coincorporated into CuCo layered double hydroxide (denoted as NiFe-CuCo LDH) that serves as an active and durable OER electrode for high-performance seawater electrolysis. With abundant exposed multimetal sites and well-defined micronanostructures, the NiFe-CuCo LDH catalyst requires overpotentials of only 259, 278, and 283 mV to yield current densities of 100, 300, and 500 mA cm−2, respectively, in 6 M KOH seawater electrolyte. Moreover, it exhibits very high OER selectivity (Faradaic efficiency of 97.4% for O2 at 500 mA cm−2) and superior durability during operation, working stably under a large current density of 500 mA cm−2 for up to 500 h in 6 M KOH seawater electrolyte. This multimetallic electrocatalyst is one of the best performing ones among all reported transition-metal-based OER electrocatalysts in alkaline seawater electrolyte, which boosts the development of seawater electrolysis technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reports the design and fabrication of a new double cermet-based low-mid temperature solar selective absorber based on TiOx cermet layers, which were deposited with a single Ti target by varying O2 partial pressure in sputtering chamber as reactive gas. High metal volume fraction cermet 1 and low metal volume fraction cermet 2 were deposited with O2 partial pressure of 0.15 mTorr and 0.25 mTorr, respectively, with direct current power density of 6.58 W cm-2. The complex refractive indices from ellipsometry were used to design solar selective absorber. The reflectance, thermal stability, and morphology were studied in absorbers on Cu and stainless steel. The effect of TiO2 and SiO2 as anti-reflective coating layers was investigated. The absorber on Cu substrate has high absorptance of 90.8% and low emittance of 4.9% (100 °C), and changed to 96.0% and 6.6%, respectively, after annealing at 300 °C for 4 days. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reports the design and fabrication of a new double cermet-based low-mid temperature solar selective absorber based on TiOx cermet layers, which were deposited with a single Ti target by varying O2 partial pressure in sputtering chamber as reactive gas. High metal volume fraction cermet 1 and low metal volume fraction cermet 2 were deposited with O2 partial pressure of 0.152 mTorr and 0.25 mTorr, respectively, with direct current power density of 6.58W cm-2. The complex refractive indices from ellipsometry were used to design solar selective absorber. The reflectance, thermal stability, and morphology were studied in absorbers on Cu and stainless steel. The effect of TiO2 and SiO2 as anti-reflective coating layers was investigated. The absorber on Cu substrate has high absorptance of 90.8% and low emittance of 4.9% (100 C°), and changed to 96.0% and 6.6%, respectively, after annealing at 300 °C for 4 days. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zintl compounds are considered to be potential thermoelectric materials due to their "phonon glass electron crystal" (PGEC) structure. A promising Zintl-phase thermoelectric material, 2-1-2-type Eu2ZnSb2 (P63/mmc), was prepared and investigated. The extremely low lattice thermal conductivity is attributed to the external Eu atomic layers inserted in the [Zn2Sb2]2- network in the structure of 1-2-2-type EuZn2Sb2 (P3m1), as well as the abundant inversion domain boundary. By regulating the Zn deficiency, the electrical properties are significantly enhanced, and the maximum ZT value reaches ~1.0 at 823 K for Eu2Zn0.98Sb2. Our discovery provides a class of Zintl thermoelectric materials applicable in the mediumtemperature range. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Germanium telluride (GeTe)-based materials, which display intriguing functionalities, have been intensively studied from both fundamental and technological perspectives. As a thermoelectric material, though, the phase transition in GeTe from a rhombohedral structure to a cubic structure at ~700 K is a major obstacle impeding applications for energy harvesting. In this work, we discovered that the phase-transition temperature can be suppressed to below 300 K by a simple Bi and Mn codoping, resulting in the high performance of cubic GeTe from 300 to 773 K. Bi doping on the Ge site was found to reduce the hole concentration and thus to enhance the thermoelectric properties. Mn alloying on the Ge site simultaneously increased the hole effective mass and the Seebeck coefficient through modification of the valence bands. With the Bi and Mn codoping, the lattice thermal conductivity was also largely reduced due to the strong point-defect scattering for phonons, resulting in a peak thermoelectric figure of merit (ZT) of ~1.5 at 773 K and an average ZT of ~1.1 from 300 to 773 K in cubic Ge0.81Mn0.15Bi0.04Te. Our results open the door for further studies of this exciting material for thermoelectric and other applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Maintaining colloidal stability in unfriendly environments while retaining surface chemical properties is challenging for fundamental science and crucial for many applications. Here, we report for the first time that by using a low concentration of poly(sodium 4-styrenesulfonate) (PSS), graphene-based amphiphilic Janus nanosheets (AJNs) can be stabilized in high salt brine (3 wt % NaCl and 0.5 wt % CaCl2), whereas the interfacial behavior of the nanosheets is not affected. The adsorption of PSS on the hydrophilic and hydrophobic surfaces of AJNs in brine was investigated experimentally and by molecular dynamics simulations. Simulations further showed that the spatial configuration of absorbed PSS molecules with sulfonate functional groups facing outward favored the generation of electrosteric repulsive interactions. Calculations of the interaction energy between PSS molecules and the nanosheet revealed surface charge as a key parameter to stabilize AJNs in the salt environment, as demonstrated by the case of graphene oxide with higher surface charge. Simulations were also used to examine the interfacial behavior of graphene-based AJNs in biphasic systems. The AJNs, which exhibited asymmetry in surface wettability, remained at the oil/brine interface because of PSS detachment from the hydrophobic surface. The results were subsequently experimentally confirmed, consistent with our previously reported graphene-based AJN fluid prepared in fresh water. The process was thermodynamically supported by the demonstrated negative change of Gibbs free energy. We believe that such a strategy could benefit for the stabilization of other AJNs with surface chemical accessibility under harsh condition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nanofluid of graphene-based amphiphilic Janus nanosheets produced high-efficiency tertiary oil recovery at a very low concentration (0.01 wt %). The more attractive way is to use nanofluid during the secondary oil recovery stage, which can eliminate the tertiary stage and save huge amounts of water, especially at times when the price of oil is low. Here, we continue to report our findings on the application of the same nanosheets in secondary oil recovery, which increased oil recovery efficiency by ≤7.5% at an ultralow concentration (0.005 wt %). Compared with nanofluids of homogeneous nanoparticles, our nanofluid achieved a higher efficiency at a much lower concentration. The nanosize dimension of this two-dimensional carbon material improves transport in rock pores. After single-side surface hydrophobization of oxidized graphene with alkylamine, the partial restoration of the graphitic sp² network was detected by Raman, ultraviolet-visible, etc. The amphiphilic Janus nature of nanosheets led to their unique behavior at toluene-brine interface. Oil immersion testing clearly showed the change in the shape of the droplet. The three-phase contact angle decreased from 150° to 79°, indicating the change in the wettability of the solid surface from oleophilic to oleophobic. On the basis of the measured three-phase contact angles, the interfacial tension in the presence of the nanosheets was further calculated and was lower than the interfacial tension without the nanosheets. These interfacial phenomena can help residual oil detach from the solid surface, which contributes to the improved oil recovery performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Achieving higher carrier mobility plays a pivotal role for obtaining potentially high thermoelectric performance. In principle, the carrier mobility is governed by the band structure as well as by the carrier scattering mechanism. Here, we demonstrate that by manipulating the carrier scattering mechanism in n-type Mg3Sb2-based materials, a substantial improvement in carrier mobility, and hence the power factor, can be achieved. In this work, Fe, Co, Hf, and Ta are doped on the Mg site of Mg3.2Sb1.5Bi0.49Te0.01, where the ionized impurity scattering crosses over to mixed ionized impurity and acoustic phonon scattering. A significant improvement in Hall mobility from ~16 to ~81 cm²⋅V-1⋅s-1 is obtained, thus leading to a notably enhanced power factor of ~13 µW⋅cm-1⋅K-2 from ~5 µW⋅cm-1⋅K-2. A simultaneous reduction in thermal conductivity is also achieved. Collectively, a figure of merit (ZT) of ~1.7 is obtained at 773 K in Mg3.1Co0.1Sb1.5Bi0.49Te0.01. The concept of manipulating the carrier scattering mechanism to improve the mobility should also be applicable to other material systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Commercial hydrogen production by electrocatalytic water splitting will benefit from the realization of more efficient and less expensive catalysts compared with noble metal catalysts, especially for the oxygen evolution reaction, which requires a current density of 500 mA/cm2 at an overpotential below 300 mV with long-term stability. Here we report a robust oxygen-evolving electrocatalyst consisting of ferrous metaphosphate on self-supported conductive nickel foam that is commercially available in large scale. We find that this catalyst, which may be associated with the in situ generated nickel-iron oxide/hydroxide and iron oxyhydroxide catalysts at the surface, yields current densities of 10 mA/cm2 at an overpotential of 177 mV, 500 mA/cm2 at only 265 mV, and 1,705 mA/cm2 at 300 mV, with high durability in alkaline electrolyte of 1 M KOH even after 10,000 cycles, representing activity enhancement by a factor of 49 in boosting water oxidation at 300 mV relative to the state-of-the-art IrO2 catalyst. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Colloidal behavior is fundamental for many applications. Methods for evaluating the stability of chemically homogeneous nanoparticles have been developed well. However, little attention has been paid to that of amphiphilic Janus nanomaterials that have recently emerged. In polar solvents, the significant influence of hydrophobic interaction complicated the evaluation of stability because of the lack of generally accepted theoretical energy potential for the interaction. To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first to investigate the colloidal stability of graphene-based amphiphilic Janus nanosheets at different salt concentrations and temperatures by developing a theoretical model with an understanding of the chemical and physical properties of the fluid. The model predictions were in good agreement with experimental stability evaluations. This study could also serve as a foundation for understanding the behavior of other amphiphilic Janus nanomaterials, achieving complex structures, and stabilizing the amphiphilic Janus nanomaterials for applications in unfriendly environments, e.g., at high salinities or temperatures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The filling fraction limit in filled Skutterudites plays a critical role in thermoelectric properties; however, the exact filling fraction limit for certain fillers is still in debate. In this work, we observed the lattice distortion, where lattice parameters a and b are unequal, in the annealed Yb-filled CoSb3. Microstructure characterization by advanced spherical aberration-corrected (CS-corrected) electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and electron energy loss spectroscopy in conjunction with thermoelectric characterization clearly proves that the Yb filling fraction is higher in the annealed sample (with lattice distortion) than in the ball-milled sample (without lattice distortion). Therefore, the results indicate that lattice distortion appears when the Yb filling fraction reaches a certain critical value in CoSb3 Skutterudites. The observed lattice distortion provides an alternative approach to probe the filling fraction in filled Skutterudites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 18-electron rule is a widely used criterion in the search for new half-Heusler thermoelectric materials. However, several 19-electron compounds such as NbCoSb have been found to be stable and exhibit thermoelectric properties rivaling state-of-the art materials. Using synchrotron X-ray diffraction and density functional theory calculations, we show that samples with nominal (19-electron) composition NbCoSb actually contain a half-Heusler phase with composition Nb0.84CoSb. The large amount of stable Nb vacancies reduces the overall electron count, which brings the stoichiometry of the compound close to an 18-electron count, and stabilizes the material. Excess electrons beyond 18 electrons provide heavy doping needed to make these good thermoelectric materials. This work demonstrates that considering possible defect chemistry and allowing small variation of electron counting leads to extra degrees of freedom for tailoring thermoelectric properties and exploring new compounds. Here we discuss the 18-electron rule as a guide to find defect-free half-Heusler semiconductors. Other electron counts such as 19-electron NbCoSb can also be expected to be stable as n-type metals, perhaps with cation vacancy defects to reduce the electron count. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Silver nanowire (AgNW) films have been studied as the most promising flexible transparent electrodes for flexible photoelectronics. The wire-wire junction resistance in the AgNW film is a critical parameter to the electrical performance, and several techniques of nanowelding or soldering have been reported to reduce the wire-wire junction resistance. However, these methods require either specific facilities, or additional materials as the "solder", and often have adverse effects to the AgNW film or substrate. In this study, we show that at the nanoscale, capillary force is a powerful driving force that can effectively cause self-limited cold welding of the wire-wire junction for AgNWs. The capillary-force-induced welding can be simply achieved by applying moisture on the AgNW film, without any technical support like the addition of materials or the use of specific facilities. The moisture-treated AgNW films exhibit a significant decrease in sheet resistance, but negligible changes in transparency. We have also demonstrated that this method is effective to heal damaged AgNW films of wearable electronics and can be conveniently performed not only indoors but also outdoors where technical support is often unavailable. The capillary-force-based method may also be useful in the welding of other metal NWs, the fabrication of nanostructures, and smart assemblies for versatile flexible optoelectronic applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Here we investigate the half-Heusler ZrNiPb as a n-type thermoelectric material. Our results show that the n-type ZrNiPb-based materials can achieve high peak power factors, ~50 μW cm-1 K-2, by optimally tuning the carrier concentration via Bi doping. By further Sn-alloying in Pb site, we achieve a significant reduction of lattice thermal conductivity while maintaining the power factor almost unchanged and hence noticeably improve the ZT. Our work demonstrates that n-type ZrNiPb-based half-Heuslers are promising thermoelectric materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is well known that the efficiency of a good thermoelectric material should be optimized with respect to doping concentration. However, much less attention has been paid to the optimization of the dopant's energy level. Thermoelectric materials doped with shallow levels may experience a dramatic reduction in their figures of merit at high temperatures due to the excitation of minority carriers that reduces the Seebeck coefficient and increases bipolar heat conduction. Doping with deep level impurities can delay the excitation of minority carriers as it requires a higher temperature to ionize all dopants. We find through modeling that, depending on the material type and temperature range of operation, different impurity levels (shallow or deep) will be desired to optimize the efficiency of a thermoelectric material. For different materials, we further clarify where the most preferable position of the impurity level within the bandgap falls. Our research provides insight on why different dopants often affect thermoelectric transport properties differently and directions in searching for the most appropriate dopants for a thermoelectric material in order to maximize the device efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The large consumption of natural fossil fuels and accompanying environmental problems are driving the exploration of cost-effective and robust catalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in water splitting. Tungsten dichalcogenides (WS2, WSe2, etc.) are promising candidates for such purpose, but their HER performances are inherently limited by the sparse catalytic edge sites and poor electrical conductivity. Here we demonstrate a highly active and stable HER catalyst by integrating ternary tungsten sulfoselenide WS2(1-x)Se2x particles with a 3D porous metallic NiSe2 foam, in which good electrical conductivity, good contact, large surface area, and high-density active edge sites are simultaneously obtained, thus contributing to outstanding catalytic performance: large cathode current density (-10 mA/cm2 at -88 mV), low Tafel slope (46.7 mV/dec), large exchange current density (214.7 μA/cm2), and good stability, which is better than most reports on WS2 and NiSe2 catalysts. This work paves an interesting route for boosting HER efficiency of transition metal dichalcogenide catalysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Improvements in thermoelectric material performance over the past two decades have largely been based on decreasing the phonon thermal conductivity. Enhancing the power factor has been less successful in comparison. In this work, a peak power factor of ~106 µW⋅cm-1⋅K-2 is achieved by increasing the hot pressing temperature up to 1,373 K in the p-type half-Heusler Nb0.95Ti0.05FeSb. The high power factor subsequently yields a record output power density of ~22 W⋅cm-2 based on a single-leg device operating at between 293 K and 868 K. Such a high-output power density can be beneficial for large-scale power generation applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Complex Zintl phases, especially antimony (Sb)-based YbZn0.4Cd1.6Sb2 with figure-of-merit (ZT) of ~1.2 at 700 K, are good candidates as thermoelectric materials because of their intrinsic "electron-crystal, phonon-glass" nature. Here, we report the rarely studied p-type bismuth (Bi)-based Zintl phases (Ca,Yb,Eu)Mg2Bi2 with a record thermoelectric performance. Phase-pure EuMg2Bi2 is successfully prepared with suppressed bipolar effect to reach ZT ~ 1. Further partial substitution of Eu by Ca and Yb enhanced ZT to ~1.3 for Eu0.2Yb0.2Ca0.6Mg2Bi2 at 873 K. Density-functional theory (DFT) simulation indicates the alloying has no effect on the valence band, but does affect the conduction band. Such band engineering results in good p-type thermoelectric properties with high carrier mobility. Using transmission electron microscopy, various types of strains are observed and are believed to be due to atomic mass and size fluctuations. Point defects, strain, dislocations, and nanostructures jointly contribute to phonon scattering, confirmed by the semiclassical theoretical calculations based on a modified Debye-Callaway model of lattice thermal conductivity. This work indicates Bi-based (Ca, Yb,Eu)Mg2Bi2 is better than the Sb-based Zintl phases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current simple nanofluid flooding method for tertiary or enhanced oil recovery is inefficient, especially when used with low nanoparticle concentration. We have designed and produced a nanofluid of graphene-based amphiphilic nanosheets that is very effective at low concentration. Our nanosheets spontaneously approached the oil-water interface and reduced the interfacial tension in a saline environment (4 wt % NaCl and 1 wt % CaCl2), regardless of the solid surface wettability. A climbing film appeared and grew at moderate hydrodynamic condition to encapsulate the oil phase. With strong hydrodynamic power input, a solid-like interfacial film formed and was able to return to its original form even after being seriously disturbed. The film rapidly separated oil and water phases for slug-like oil displacement. The unique behavior of our nanosheet nanofluid tripled the best performance of conventional nanofluid flooding methods under similar conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Motivated by good thermoelectric performance of Bi-based Zintl compounds Ca1–xYbxMg2Biy, we further studied the thermoelectric properties of Zintl compound CaMg2Bi1.98 by doping Na into Ca as Ca1–xNaxMg2Bi1.98 via mechanical alloying and hot pressing. We found that the electrical conductivity, Seebeck coefficient, power factor, and carrier concentration can be effectively adjusted by tuning the Na concentration. Transport measurement and calculations revealed that an optimal doping of 0.5 at.% Na achieved better average ZT and efficiency. The enhancement in thermoelectric performance is attributed to the increased carrier concentration and power factor. The low cost and nontoxicity of Ca1–xNaxMg2Bi1.98 makes it a potentially promising thermoelectric material for power generation in the mid-temperature range. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the past, there have been very few reports on thermal properties of attapulgite which is a widely used clay mineral. In this work, we report on extremely low thermal conductivities in attapulgite samples synthesized by hot-pressing. Attapulgite powder was hot-pressed at different temperatures into bulk samples, and a systematic study was conducted on the microstructures and thermal properties. Differential scanning calorimetry analysis shows that hot-pressing induces a rapid dehydration of the attapulgite powders. X-ray diffraction data and scanning/transmission electron microscopy reveal that the hot-pressed attapulgite features high porosity and complex microstructures, including an amorphous phase. As a result, the hot-pressed attapulgite exhibits thermal conductivity less than 2.5 W m-1K-1 up to 600 °C. For one sample with porosity of 45.7%, the thermal conductivity is as low as 0.34 W m-1K-1 at 50 °C. This suggests the potential of hot-pressed attapulgite as a candidate for thermal barrier materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stretchable transparent electrodes are key elements in flexible electronics and e-skins. However, existing stretchable transparent electrodes, including graphene sheets, carbon nanotube, and metal nanowire networks, weakly adheres to the substrate by van der Waals forces. Such electrodes suffer from poor scratch-resistance or poor durability, and this issue has been one of the biggest problems for their applications in industry. Here we show that, by introducing a Au-S bond between a Au nanomesh (AuNM) and the underlying elastomeric substrate, the AuNM strongly adheres to the substrate and can withstand scratches of a pressure of several megapascals. We find that the strong chemical bond, on the other hand, leads to a stiffening effect and localized rupture of the AuNM upon stretching; thus the stretchability is poor. A prestraining process is applied to suppress the localized rupture and has successfully improved the stretchability: electrical resistance of the prestrained AuNM exhibits modest change by one-time stretching to 160%, or repeated stretching to 50% for 25000 cycles. This conductor is an ideal platform for robust stretchable photoelectronics. The idea of introducing a covalent bond to improve the scratch-resistance may also be applied to other systems including Ag nanowire films, carbon nanotube films, graphene, and so forth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Next-generation flexible electronics require highly stretchable and transparent electrodes. Few electronic conductors are both transparent and stretchable, and even fewer can be cyclically stretched to a large strain without causing fatigue. Fatigue, which is often an issue of strained materials causing failure at low strain levels of cyclic loading, is detrimental to materials under repeated loads in practical applications. Here we show that optimizing topology and/or tuning adhesion of metal nanomeshes can significantly improve stretchability and eliminate strain fatigue. The ligaments in an Au nanomesh on a slippery substrate can locally shift to relax stress upon stretching and return to the original configuration when stress is removed. The Au nanomesh keeps a low sheet resistance and high transparency, comparable to those of strain-free indium tin oxide films, when the nanomesh is stretched to a strain of 300%, or shows no fatigue after 50,000 stretches to a strain up to 150%. Moreover, the Au nanomesh is biocompatible and penetrable to biomacromolecules in fluid. The superstretchable transparent conductors are highly desirable for stretchable photoelectronics, electronic skins, and implantable electronics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The formula for maximum efficiency (ηmax) of heat conversion into electricity by a thermoelectric device in terms of the dimensionless figure of merit (ZT) has been widely used to assess the desirability of thermoelectric materials for devices. Unfortunately, the ηmax values vary greatly depending on how the average ZT values are used, raising questions about the applicability of ZT in the case of a large temperature difference between the hot and cold sides due to the neglect of the temperature dependences of the material properties that affect ZT. To avoid the complex numerical simulation that gives accurate efficiency, we have defined an engineering dimensionless figure of merit (ZT)eng and an engineering power factor (PF)eng as functions of the temperature difference between the cold and hot sides to predict reliably and accurately the practical conversion efficiency and output power, respectively, overcoming the reporting of unrealistic efficiency using average ZT values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent calculations predict a super-thermal-conductivity of ~2000Wm-1 K-1, comparable to that of diamond, in cubic boron arsenide (BAs) crystals, which may offer inexpensive insulators with super-thermal-conductivity for microelectronic device applications. We have synthesized and characterized single crystals of BAs with a zinc blende cubic structure and lattice parameters of a=4.7830(7) Å. A relatively high thermal conductivity of ~200Wm-1 K-1 is obtained, close to those of best non-carbon crystal insulators, such as SiC, although still an order of magnitude smaller than the value predicted. Based on our XPS, X-ray single crystal diffraction, and Raman scattering results, steps to achieve the predicted super-thermal conductivity in BAs are proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent calculations predict a super-thermal-conductivity of ~2000 Wm-1 K-1, comparable to that of diamond, in cubic boron arsenide (BAs) crystals, which may offer inexpensive insulators with super-thermal-conductivity for microelectronic device applications. We have synthesized and characterized single crystals of BAs with a zinc blende cubic structure and lattice parameters of a = 4.7830(7) Å. A relatively high thermal conductivity of ~200Wm-1 K-1 is obtained, close to those of best non-carbon crystal insulators, such as SiC, although still an order of magnitude smaller than the value predicted. Based on our XPS, X-ray single crystal diffraction, and Raman scattering results, steps to achieve the predicted super-thermal conductivity in BAs are proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a study on the dimensionless thermoelectric figure-of-merit (ZT) of nanostructured YbxCo4Sb12 (x = 0.2, 0.35, 0.45. 0.5 and 0.6) made by hot pressing the nanopowder obtained from ball milling an ingot in comparison with that made directly from ball milling the elements. It was found that the electrical conductivity of the sample made from the ingot is higher and the thermal conductivity is lower compared to the sample made from directly ball milling the elements. It is believed that the higher electrical conductivity is due to the presence of fewer defects, while the lower thermal conductivity may be due to stronger phonon scattering from the different grain sizes. We have achieved a peak ZT of ~1.4 at 550 °C in Yb0.35Co4Sb12. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extraction of intracellular molecules is crucial to the study of cellular signal pathways. Disruption of the cellular membrane remains the established method to release intracellular contents, which inevitably terminates the time course of biological processes. Also, conventional laboratory extractions mostly use bulky materials that ignore the heterogeneity of each cell. In this work, we developed magnetized carbon nanotubes that can be sneaked into and out of cell bodies under a magnetic force. Using a testing model with overexpression of GFP, the nanotubes successfully transported the intracellular GFP out at the single-cell level. The confined nanoscale invasiveness did not change cell viability or proliferation. This study presents the proof of concept of a previously unidentified real-time and single-cell approach to investigate cellular biology, signal messengers, and therapeutic effects with nanomaterials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We show in theory, simulations, and experiments that, by applying random metallic nanomeshes, a broad-band multilayered structure with a 12 nm thick a-Si film as the active layer can absorb 89% of the total solar energy in the visible range from 400 nm to 700 nm. Such broadness and high absorption can be attributed to the random scattering introduced by the aperiodic metallic nanomeshes and the plasmonic-metamaterial design. The broadband and smooth electromagnetic response, combined with a very high absorption, is desired for solar energy harvesting devices, making this structure a good candidate for high efficiency photovoltaics with ultra-thin active layers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

From an environmental perspective, lead-free SnTe would be preferable for solid-state waste heat recovery if its thermoelectric figure-of-merit could be brought close to that of the lead-containing chalcogenides. In this work, we studied the thermoelectric properties of nanostructured SnTe with different dopants, and found indium-doped SnTe showed extraordinarily large Seebeck coefficients that cannot be explained properly by the conventional two-valence band model. We attributed this enhancement of Seebeck coefficients to resonant levels created by the indium impurities inside the valence band, supported by the first-principles simulations. This, together with the lower thermal conductivity resulting from the decreased grain size by ball milling and hot pressing, improved both the peak and average nondimensional figure-of-merit (ZT) significantly. A peak ZT of ~1.1 was obtained in 0.25 atom % In-doped SnTe at about 873 K. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The control of heat conduction through the manipulation of phonons as coherent waves in solids is of fundamental interest and could also be exploited in applications, but coherent heat conduction has not been experimentally confirmed. We report the experimental observation of coherent heat conduction through the use of finite-thickness superlattices with varying numbers of periods. The measured thermal conductivity increased linearly with increasing total superlattice thickness over a temperature range from 30 to 150 kelvin, which is consistent with a coherent phonon heat conduction process. First-principles and Green's function-based simulations further support this coherent transport model. Accessing the coherent heat conduction regime opens a new venue for phonon engineering for an array of applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Group IIIA elements (B, Ga, In, and Tl) have been doped into PbSe for enhancement of thermoelectric properties. The electrical conductivity, Seebeck coefficient, and thermal conductivity were systematically studied. Room-temperature Hall measurements showed an effective increase in the electron concentration upon both Ga and In doping and the hole concentration upon Tl doping to ~7 × 1019 cm-3. No resonant doping phenomenon was observed when PbSe was doped with B, Ga, or In. The highest room-temperature power factor 2.5 × 10-3 W m-1 K-2 was obtained for PbSe doped with 2 atom % B. However, the power factor in B-doped samples decreased with increasing temperature, opposite to the trend for the other dopants. A figure of merit (ZT) of ~1.2 at ~873 K was achieved in PbSe doped with 0.5 atom % Ga or In. With Tl doping, modification of the band structure around the Fermi level helped to increase the Seebeck coefficient, and the lattice thermal conductivity decreased, probably as a result of effective phonon scattering by both the heavy Tl3+ ions and the increased grain boundary density after ball milling. The highest p-type ZT value was ~1.0 at ~723 K. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present detailed studies of potassium doping in PbTe1-ySey (y = 0, 0.15, 0.25, 0.75, 0.85, 0.95, and 1). It was found that Se increases the doping concentration of K in PbTe as a result of the balance of electronegativity and also lowers the lattice thermal conductivity because of the increased number of point defects. Tuning the composition and carrier concentration to increase the density of states around the Fermi level results in higher Seebeck coefficients for the two valence bands of PbTe1-ySey. Peak thermoelectric figure of merit (ZT) values of ~1.6 and ~1.7 were obtained for Te-rich K0.02Pb0.98Te0.75Se0.25 at 773 K and Se-rich K0.02Pb0.98Te0.15Se0.85 at 873 K, respectively. However, the average ZT was higher in Te-rich compositions than in Se-rich compositions, with the best found in K0.02Pb0.98Te0.75Se0.25. Such a result is due to the improved electron transport afforded by heavy K doping with the assistance of Se. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We show that a planar structure, consisting of an ultrathinsemiconductinglayer topped with a solid nanoscopically perforated metallic filmand then a dielectric interference film, can highly absorb (superabsorb)electromagnetic radiation in the entire visible range, and thus canbecome a platform for high-efficiency solar cells. The perforatedmetallic film and the ultrathin absorber in this broadband superabsorberform a metamaterial effective film, which negatively refracts lightin this broad frequency range. Our quantitative simulations confirmthat the superabsorption bandwidth is maximized at the checkerboardpattern of the perforations. These simulations show also that theenergy conversion efficiency of a single-junction amorphous siliconsolar cell based on our optimized structure can exceed 12%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report a solution-based synthesis of monodispersed Cu2CdSnSe4 nanocrystals and a study on the thermoelectric properties of these wide-band-gap dense materials compacted from nanocrystals for the first time. With the help of copper dopants and selenium vacancies generated during wet-chemistry synthesis, a large increment in the power factor is observed, and the dimensionless figure-of-merit ZT reaches a peak value of 0.65 at 450 °C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The conversion of sunlight into electricity has been dominated by photovoltaic and solar thermal power generation. Photovoltaic cells are deployed widely, mostly as flat panels, whereas solar thermal electricity generation relying on optical concentrators and mechanical heat engines is only seen in large-scale power plants. Here we demonstrate a promising flat-panel solar thermal to electric power conversion technology based on the Seebeck effect and high thermal concentration, thus enabling wider applications. The developed solar thermoelectric generators (STEGs) achieved a peak efficiency of 4.6% under AM1.5G (1?kW?m?2) conditions. The efficiency is 7-8 times higher than the previously reported best value for a flat-panel STEG, and is enabled by the use of high-performance nanostructured thermoelectric materials and spectrally-selective solar absorbers in an innovative design that exploits high thermal concentration in an evacuated environment. Our work opens up a promising new approach which has the potential to achieve cost-effective conversion of solar energy into electricity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We predict a large thermoelectric figure-of-merit in Kondo insulator nanowires at low temperatures. The high ZTvalues are due to the Kondo effect for electrons and boundary scattering on phonons. We simulated the electron properties of the bulk Kondo insulators within the framework of dynamical mean field theory and found that electrons have short mean free path. In nanowire structures, electron transport is hardly affected by the boundary scattering due to their small intrinsic mean free paths while phonons are strongly scattered due to classical size effect. The results suggest that the nanostructures of Kondo insulators can be designed for high performance thermoelectric cooling devices at low temperatures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Molecular imprinting is a technique for preparing polymer scaffolds that function as synthetic receptors. Imprinted polymers that can selectively bind organic compounds have proven useful in sensor development. Although creating synthetic molecular-imprinting polymers that recognize proteins remains challenging, nanodevices and nanomaterials show promise in this area. Here, we show that arrays of carbon-nanotube tips with an imprinted non-conducting polymer coating can recognize proteins with subpicogram per litre sensitivity using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. We have developed molecular-imprinting sensors specific for human ferritin and human papillomavirus derived E7 protein. The molecular-imprinting-based nanosensor can also discriminate between Ca2+-induced conformational changes in calmodulin. This ultrasensitive, label-free electrochemical detection of proteins offers an alternative to biosensors based on biomolecule recognition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The microstructures of bulk nanograined p-type bismuth antimony telluride with a thermoelectric dimensionless figure-of-merit ZT = 1.4 are investigated using transmission electron microscopy. It is found that the bulk material contains both nano- and microsized grains. Between the nanograins, bismuth-rich interface regions with a 4 nm thickness were detected. In addition, nanoprecipitates as well as other defects are also found to be embedded in the nanograins. The high ZT is attributed to the slight increase in the electrical conductivity, and to the large decrease of the thermal conductivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report the use of chemical vapor deposition (CVD) for the bulk production (grams per day) of long, thin, and highly crystalline graphene ribbons (<20−30 μm in length) exhibiting widths of 20−300 nm and small thicknesses (2−40 layers). These layers usually exhibit perfect ABAB... stacking as in graphite crystals. The structure of the ribbons has been carefully characterized by several techniques and the electronic transport and gas adsorption properties have been measured. With this material available to researchers, it should be possible to develop new applications and physicochemical phenomena associated with layered graphene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By ball milling alloyed bulk crystalline ingots into nanopowders and hot pressing them, we had demonstrated high figure-of-merit in nanostructured bulk bismuth antimony telluride. In this study, we use the same ball milling and hot press technique, but start with elemental chunks of bismuth, antimony, and tellurium to avoid the ingot formation step. We show that a peak ZTof about 1.3 in the temperature range of 75 and 100 °C has been achieved. This process is more economical and environmentally friendly than starting from alloyed bulk crystalline ingots. The ZTimprovement is caused mostly by the lower thermal conductivity, similar as the case using ingot. Transmission electron microscopy observations of the microstructures suggest that the lower thermal conductivity is mainly due to the increased phonon scattering from the increased grain boundaries of the nanograins, precipitates, nanodots, and defects. Our material also exhibits a ZTof 0.7 at 250 °C, similar to the value obtained when ingot was used. This study demonstrates that high ZTvalues can be achieved in nanostructured bulk materials with ball milling elemental chunks, suggesting that the approach can be applied to other materials that are hard to be made into ingot, in addition to its advantage of lower manufacturing cost. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dimensionless thermoelectric figure of merit (ZT) in bismuth antimony telluride (BiSbTe) bulk alloys has remained around 1 for more than 50 years. We show that a peak ZT of 1.4 at 100°C can be achieved in a p-type nanocrystalline BiSbTe bulk alloy. These nanocrystalline bulk materials were made by hot pressing nanopowders that were ball-milled from crystalline ingots under inert conditions. Electrical transport measurements, coupled with microstructure studies and modeling, show that the ZT improvement is the result of low thermal conductivity caused by the increased phonon scattering by grain boundaries and defects. More importantly, IF is about 1.2 at room temperature and 0.8 at 250°C, which makes these materials useful for cooling and power generation. Cooling devices that use these materials have produced high-temperature differences of 86°, 106°, and 119°C with hot-side temperatures set at 500, 100°, and 150°C, respectively. This discovery sets the stage for use of a new nanocomposite approach in developing high-performance low-cost bulk thermoelectric materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]