Entropy engineering in metavalent-bonded SnTe for high thermoelectric performanceShow others and affiliations
2025 (English)In: Chemical Engineering Journal, ISSN 1385-8947, E-ISSN 1873-3212, Vol. 523, article id 168264Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]
Entropy engineering is a crucial strategy for improving the performance of thermoelectric materials; however, achieving a single-phase solid solution becomes increasingly difficult when multiple elemental constituents are introduced into the matrix material. In this work, we propose an innovative approach that integrates the high solid solution solubility of compounds with similar chemical bonding characteristics, specifically, metavalent bonds, with the concept of entropy engineering. Through the co-alloying GeTe, PbTe, AgBiTe2 and SnTe, we synthesized the medium-entropy alloy Sn9AgBiGe3Pb3Te17. Band convergence promoted by entropy alloying significantly enhances the Seebeck coefficient. Meanwhile, as the configurational entropy parameter increases, the increased disorder leads to the formation of defects that enhance phonon scattering, significantly suppressing the lattice thermal conductivity. Consequently, Sn9AgBiGe3Pb3Te17 exhibited a peak zT value of 1.32 at 823 K, with an average zT value of 0.85 across the 300 K–823 K temperature range. Calculations using Snyder's model suggest a conversion efficiency of 11.68 %. Moreover, a record-high Vickers hardness of 171.51 Hv was achieved. These results not only demonstrate that entropy engineering offers a powerful approach to improve the thermoelectric properties of SnTe-based systems but also offer methodological guidance for the selection of alloying elements in other metavalently bonded thermoelectric systems.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Elsevier B.V. , 2025. Vol. 523, article id 168264
Keywords [en]
Thermoelectric, Entropy engineering, SnTe, Metavalent, Average zT
National Category
Condensed Matter Physics
Research subject
Engineering Materials
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:ltu:diva-114957DOI: 10.1016/j.cej.2025.168264ISI: 001576261300017Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-105015785563OAI: oai:DiVA.org:ltu-114957DiVA, id: diva2:2002500
Note
Validerad;2025;Nivå 2;2025-10-01 (u5);
Funder: National Key Research and Development Program of China (2021YFA1600204)
2025-10-012025-10-012025-11-28Bibliographically approved