Dopant Mechanism Research Articles

Protocols for the Fabrication, Characterization, and Optimization of n-Type Thermoelectric Ceramic Oxides

The development of oxides with high figure of merit, ZT, at modest temperatures (∼300–500 °C) is desirable for ceramic-based thermoelectric generator technology. Although ZT is a compound metric with contributions from thermal conductivity (κ), Seebeck coefficient (S), and electrical conductivity (σ), it has been empirically demonstrated that the key to developing thermoelectric n-type oxides is to optimize σ of the ceramic to ∼1000 S/cm at the operating temperature. Titanate-based perovskites are a popular choice for the development of n-type oxide ceramics; however, the levels of σ required cannot be achieved without control of the ceramic quality, significant reduction of the ceramic in low P(O2) atmosphere (e.g., N2/5%H2), and the use of specific dopants and dopant mechanisms, which allow the egress of oxygen homogeneously from the lattice. Here, we discuss the processing protocols to fabricate reliable, reproducible ceramic oxides and schemes for inducing high levels of σ, thereby optimizing the powe...

Proof of Supervalent Doping in Olivine LiFePO4

The dopant mechanisms allowing high power in olivine compounds have been hotly debated. Here we conclusively prove that olivines are distinguished by having limited lattice solubility for aliovalent dopants (less than 3%). This is compensated by lithium nonstoichiometry leading to an iron valence +2.