High Temperature Thermoelectric Properties of the Solid-Solution Zintl Phase Eu11Cd6–xZnxSb12

Abstract

Solid-solution Zintl compounds with the formula Eu11Cd6–xZnxSb12 have been synthesized from the elements as single crystals using a tin flux according to the stoichiometry Eu:Cd:Zn:Sb:Sn of 11:6–xp:xp:12:30 with xp = 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6, where xp is the preparative amount of Zn employed in the reaction. The crystal structures and the compositions were established by single-crystal as well as powder X-ray diffraction and wavelength-dispersive X-ray analysis measurements. The title solid-solution Zintl compounds crystallize isostructurally in the centrosymmetric monoclinic space group C 2/m (No. 12, Z = 2) as the Sr11Cd6Sb12 structure type (Pearson symbol mC58). There is a miscibility gap at 3 ≤ xp ≤ 4 where the major product crystallizes in a disordered structure related to the Ca9Mn4Bi9 structure type; otherwise, for all other compositions, the Sr11Cd6Sb12 structure is the majority phase. Eu11Cd6Sb12 shows lower lattice thermal conductivity relative to Eu11Zn6Sb12 consistent with its higher mean atomi...