Abstract
Going through decades of development, great progress in both theory and experiment has been achieved in thermoelectric materials. With the growing enhancement in thermoelectric performance, it is also companied with the complexation of defects induced in the materials. 0D point defects, 1D linear defects, 2D planar defects, and 3D bulk defects have all been induced in thermoelectric materials for the optimization of thermoelectric performance. Considering the distinct characteristics of each type of defects, in-depth understanding of their roles in the thermoelectric transport process is of vital importance. In this paper, we classify and summarize the defect-related physical effects on both band structure and transport behavior of carriers and phonons when inducing different types of defects. Recent achievements in experimental characterization and theoretical simulation of defects are also summarized for accurately determining the type of defects serving for the design of thermoelectric materials. Finally, based on the current theoretical and experimental achievements, strategies engaged with multiple dimensional defects are reviewed for thermoelectric performance optimization.
Highlights
Thermoelectric technology, catering for the growing demand for sustainable energy and special devices, has been in continuous development for decades of years
The energy conversion efficiency is positively correlated with the dimensionless figure of merit ZT, which qualifies the performance of TE materials and is defined as ZT = σS2T/κ, where σ is the electrical conductivity, S is the Seebeck coefficient, T is the absolute temperature, and κ is the thermal conductivity equal to the sum of carrier thermal conductivity and lattice thermal conductivity [4,5,6].Apparently, thermoelectric materials with high performance demand large electrical conductivity, large Seebeck coefficient, and low thermal conductivity
Focused on defects in thermoelectric materials, we summarize the possible physical effects when inducing defects with different dimensions
Summary
Thermoelectric technology, catering for the growing demand for sustainable energy and special devices, has been in continuous development for decades of years. The energy conversion efficiency is positively correlated with the dimensionless figure of merit ZT, which qualifies the performance of TE materials and is defined as ZT = σS2T/κ, where σ is the electrical conductivity, S is the Seebeck coefficient, T is the absolute temperature, and κ is the thermal conductivity equal to the sum of carrier thermal conductivity (κe) and lattice thermal conductivity (κL) [4,5,6].Apparently, thermoelectric materials with high performance demand large electrical conductivity, large Seebeck coefficient, and low thermal conductivity These physical parameters are not independent but couple with each other. Faced on the process of optimizing thermoelectric performance for a certain system via manipulating defects, we hope the work could help the interested readers have a better design of thermoelectric materials when considering inducing defects
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