Lead‐Free Thermoelectrics: High Figure of Merit in p‐type AgSnmSbTem+2 |
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Authors: | Mi‐Kyung Han John Androulakis Sung‐Jin Kim Mercouri G Kanatzidis |
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Institution: | 1. Department of Chemistry and Nano Science, Ewha Womans University, Seoul 120‐750, Korea;2. Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA |
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Abstract: | Thermoelectric materials based on Pb‐free compositions are of considerable current interest in environmentally friendly power‐generation applications derived from waste‐heat sources. Here, a new study of the thermoelectric properties of the tin‐based compositions with the general formula AgSnmSbTem+2 (m = 2, 4, 5, 7, 10, 14, 18) is presented, where the m value is used as the tuning parameter of the thermoelectric properties. The electrical conductivity, Seebeck coefficient, and thermal conductivity are measured from 300 K to 723 K and the resulting thermoelectric figure of merit is determined as a function of the SnTe/AgSbTe2 ratio. A thermoelectric figure of merit ZT ≈1 is obtained at 710 K for m = 4, indicating that the system AgSnmSbTem+2 holds great promise as an alternative p‐type, lead‐free, thermoelectric material. |
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Keywords: | narrow gap semiconductors SnTe AgSbTe2 energy conversion chalcogenides |
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