Effects of isovalent doping on the thermoelectric properties of environmentally-friendly phosphide Ag6Ge10P12

Abstract

The electrical and thermal transport properties of the isovalent Cu- or Sn-doped ternary phosphide Ag6Ge10P12 have been investigated. Polycrystalline ingots of Cu- and Sn-doped Ag6Ge10P12 were grown by the melting method. In Ag6−xCuxGe10P12 (x ≤ 0.3) and Ag6Ge10−ySnyP12 (y ≤ 0.25), the lattice thermal conductivity accounted for ∼95% of the total thermal conductivity. The lattice thermal conductivity of Cu- and Sn-doped Ag6Ge10P12 decreased with increasing doping concentration. Because of the decrease of the lattice thermal conductivity, the figure of merit ZT value of Ag5.85Cu0.15Ge10P12 reached ∼0.26, which was ∼60% higher than that of non-doped Ag6Ge10P12. Although the lattice thermal conductivity of Sn-doped Ag6Ge10P12 decreased, the electrical resistivity of Sn-doped Ag6Ge10P12 increased, resulting in the ZT value of Sn-doped Ag6Ge10P12 monotonically decreasing. Therefore, Cu doping of Ag6Ge10P12 is the effective way to enhance the thermoelectric performance.