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We herein report the significantly improved thermoelectric performance of n-type Bi2Te2.7Se0.3 polycrystalline bulks through band structure engineering achieved by Au-doping. The Seebeck coefficient can be increased for both Bi2Te2.7Se0.3 and Cu-intercalated Bi2Te2.7Se0.3 bulks by doping Au on the Bi site, either due to the addition of the resonant state or the enhancement of density of states (DOS) effective mass md*. Theoretical calculations combined with experimental measurements showed that band engineering connected with chemical potential tuning results in higher DOS at the bottom of the conduction band and increases the md* from ∼0.88m0 (Bi2Te2.7Se0.3) to ∼1.06m0 (Cu0.008Bi1.99Au0.01Te2.7Se0.3). As a consequence, a peak thermoelectric figure of merit ZT∼0.91 was obtained at 320 K for Cu0.008Bi1.99Au0.01Te2.7Se0.3, which is ∼40% and ∼25% enhancement in comparison with Bi2Te2.7Se0.3 and Cu0.008Bi2Te2.7Se0.3, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thermoelectrics, which transports heat for refrigeration or converts heat into electricity directly, is a key technology for renewable energy harvesting and solid-state refrigeration. Despite its importance, the widespread use of thermoelectric devices is constrained because of the low efficiency of thermoelectric bulk alloys. However, boundary engineering has been demonstrated as one of the most effective ways to enhance the thermoelectric performance of conventional thermoelectric materials such as Bi2Te3, PbTe, and SiGe alloys because their thermal and electronic transport properties can be manipulated separately by this approach. We review our recent progress on the enhancement of the thermoelectric figure of merit through boundary engineering together with the processing technologies for boundary engineering developed most recently using Bi2Te3-based bulk alloys. A brief discussion of the principles and current status of boundary-engineered bulk alloys for the enhancement of the thermoelectric figure of merit is presented. We focus mainly on (1) the reduction of the thermal conductivity by grain boundary engineering and (2) the reduction of thermal conductivity without deterioration of the electrical conductivity by phase boundary engineering. We also discuss the next potential approach using two boundary engineering strategies for a breakthrough in the area of bulk thermoelectric alloys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pavonite homologues, Cux+yBi5−ySe8 (1.2 ≤x≤ 1.5, 0.1 ≤y≤ 0.4), in a polycrystalline bulk form have been synthesized using a conventional solid state sintering technique. Their thermal and electronic transport properties were evaluated for mid-temperature thermoelectric power generation applications. Structural complexity, based on unique substitutional and interstitial Cu atoms in the structure, makes this system attractive as an intrinsic low thermal conductivity material; also the band structure calculations revealed that interstitial Cu atoms generate n-type carrier conduction. Room temperature lattice thermal conductivities ranging between 0.41 W m−1 K−1 and 0.55 W m−1 K−1 were found for Cux+yBi5−ySe8; these values are comparable to those of the state-of-the-art low lattice thermal conductivity systems. These extremely low thermal conductivities combined with the power factors result in the highest ZT = 0.27 at 560 K for Cu1.9Bi4.6Se8. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Review: 148 refs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]