Electrical Transport Performance Research Articles

Disordered Order Enables High Out‐of‐Plane ZT in PbSnS2 Crystals

AbstractHigh‐performance thermoelectric materials enable waste heat recovery, providing an effective avenue for sustainable development. The concept of “phonon‐glass electron‐crystal” is considered as an ideal approach to achieve high‐performance thermoelectric materials. However, achieving this perfect state remains a significant challenge due to the coupled transport parameters. In this work, long‐range order and short‐range disorder (disordered order) in n‐type PbSnS2 crystals are successfully realized through alloying Se, which enable the synergistic optimization of electron and phonon transport. The improvement of crystal symmetry weakens the distortion of the average long‐range order, leading to a high carrier mobility and promoted electrical transport performance. Meanwhile, the local structure analyzed by X‐ray absorption fine structure spectra reveals a strengthened short‐range disorder, resulting in the enhanced phonon scattering and thus ultralow lattice thermal conductivity. As a result, the disordered order enables a high ZT ≈ 1.7 in PbSnS2‐Cl‐30%Se crystal at 733 K along the out‐of‐plane direction. Moreover, the single‐leg device fabricated using this crystal produces a power generation efficiency of ≈7.2% at temperature difference of 378 K. This work demonstrates the realistic feasibility of disordered order to fulfill the ideal “phonon‐glass electron‐crystal” thermoelectric material, which opens up new avenues for performance optimization.

Tri‐Layer Heterostructure Channel of a‐IGZO/a‐ITZO/a‐IGZO Toward Enhancement of Transport and Reliability in Amorphous Oxide Semiconductor Thin Film Transistors

AbstractThin film transistors (TFTs) based on amorphous oxide semiconductors (AOS) are promising candidates for panel displays. However, the trade‐off between mobility and reliability in AOS‐TFTs hinders their further applications in next‐generation display techniques and newly developed logic and memory circuits. Here, a structural strategy is proposed for the mobility‐reliability trade‐off, via a triple‐layer channel containing a Ga‐free high‐mobility layer (amorphous InSnZnO, a‐ITZO) sandwiched by two Ga‐rich layers (amorphous InGaZnO, a‐IGZO) with higher reliability. Gate‐induced carrier accumulation is verified mainly being energetically confined within the high mobility a‐ITZO layer, at the newly defined a‐ITZO/a‐IGZO interface. Compared to single layer a‐ITZO‐TFTs, triple‐channel a‐IGZO/a‐ITZO/a‐IGZO TFTs (GTG‐TFTs) exhibit outstanding stability and electrical transport performances, with suppressed positive/negative‐bias‐stress voltage shifts from 1/0.3 to 0.1/0.004 V, enhanced field effect mobility from ≈40 to 56 cm2V−1s−1, and optimized sub‐threshold swing down to 80 mV dec−1. Further numerical simulations and charge transport characterizations, including magnetotransport and gate‐induced Hall effect, indicate that charge transport in tri‐layer structure is less affected by energetic disorders present at gate insulator interfaces.

Vacancy Manipulation by Ordered Mesoporous Induced Optimal Carrier Concentration and Low Lattice Thermal Conductivity in BixSb2- xTe3 Yielding Superior Thermoelectric Performance.

For BixSb2- xTe3 (BST) in thermoelectric field, the element ratio is easily influenced by the chemical environment, deviating from the stoichiometric ratio and giving rise to various intrinsic defects. In P-type polycrystalline BST, SbTe and BiTe are the primary forms of defects. Defect engineering is a crucial strategy for optimizing the electrical transport performance of Bi2Te3-based materials, but achieving synchronous improvement of thermal performance is challenging. In this study, mesoporous SiO2 is utilized to successfully mitigate the adverse impacts of vacancy defects, resulting in an enhancement of the electrical transport performance and a pronounced reduction in thermal conductivity. Crystal and the microstructure of the continuous modulation contribute to the effective phonon-electronic decoupling. Ultimately, the peak zT of Bi0.4Sb1.6Te3/0.8 wt% SiO2 (with a pore size of 4nm) nanocomposites reaches as high as 1.5 at 348 K, and a thermoelectric conversion efficiency of 6.6% is achieved at ΔT = 222.7 K. These results present exciting possibilities for the realization of defect regulation in porous materials and hold reference significance for other material systems.

Alloy scattering to optimize carrier and phonon transport properties in PbBi2S4 thermoelectric

Ternary PbBi2S4 compound with crustal S-rich element and low lattice thermal conductivity is considered as a potential thermoelectric candidate. However, its inferior thermoelectric properties are rooted in the low electrical transport performance. Generally, enhancing electrical transport performance (power factor, PF) primarily entails optimizing the interdependent relationship between carrier mobility μ (linked to electrical conductivity σ) and effective mass m* (related to Seebeck coefficient S). In this work, we introduce the strategy of alloy scattering to independently enhance S without weakening μ and simultaneously reduce thermal conductivity, leading to a synergetic optimization of electron and phonon in PbBi2S4 thermoelectric. Heavy Sn alloying in PbBi2S4 presents uniform and orderly distribution on Pb sites as unclosed by the atomic-scale crystal structure observation. These massive Sn atom serves as scattering centers and turns the electron scattering mechanism to be dominated by alloy scattering, thus resulting in a ∼ 33% increment of S in Pb0.6Sn0.4Bi2S4. Meanwhile, Sn alloying aggravates phonon scattering further lowering lattice thermal conductivity and reaching an extremely low value of 0.34 W·m–1·K–1 at 773 K. Finally, a maximum zT of 0.68 at 773 K is obtained in Pb0.6Sn0.4Bi2S4, which is ∼ 45% higher than the pristine matrix. This study proves that the strategy of alloy scattering is effective in improving overall electrical transport properties as well as reducing lattice thermal conductivity, which paves a new way to develop high-performance thermoelectric materials.

Optimized TCR and MR properties of La0.7-xSmxCa0.3MnO3 ceramics by Sm3+ doping

La0.7Ca0.3MnO3 (LCMO), with its high temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR) and large magnetoresistance (MR) effect, has emerged as a leading material in the field of new multi-functional ceramics. Enhancing the magnetoresistive effect of LCMO in low magnetic field and expanding its application range is one of the main research goals of this kind of materials. In this work, La0.7-xSmxCa0.3MnO3 (LSCMO) (0≤x≤0.09) ceramic targets with different doping amounts were successfully prepared by sol-gel method, and the influence mechanism of Sm3+ doping on the magnetoresistive effect and electrical transport performance of LSCMO was systematically analyzed. X-ray diffraction (XRD) results showed that the lattice parameters (a,b,c,V) of LSCMO decreased slightly, indicating that the doping amount of Sm3+ at the A-site increased. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed that the grains were closely connected without obvious pores, the grain size decreased slightly. The ρ-T curve shows an obvious metal-insulator (M-I) transition, with the increase of Sm3+, the increase of resistivity, metal-insulator transition temperature (TMI) and ferromagnetic-paramagnetic (FM-PM) transition temperature (TC) move towards low temperature. When x=0.015, the peak value of TCR reaches 41.94%·K-1, and when x= 0.06, the peak value of MR reaches 80.25%, both TCR and MR are improved. The results show that: Sm3+ doping can effectively enhance the electromagnetic transport performance of LSCMO. This material has a very wide application prospect in the fields of magnetic storage, and infrared detection.

Boosting thermoelectric performance of PEDOT: PSS/Bi2Te3 hybrid films via structural and interfacial engineering

In this work, we synthesized poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene): poly (styrene sulfonate) (PEDOT: PSS) and PEDOT: PSS/Bi2Te3 hybrid composite film using a spin coating method. The maximum Seebeck coefficient (22 μVK−1) and power factor (57.18 μWm-1 K−2 around 300 K) were achieved at 0.4 wt% Bi2Te3. The electrical conductivity (σ) reached a maximum of 1467 Scm−1 at 300 K for 0.6 wt% Bi2Te3, which is more than three times higher than that of pure PEDOT: PSS. Two critical components contribute to the improved electrical transport performance, as identified by XRD, Raman spectroscopy, XPS, AFM, and SEM. First, the conductive polymer undergoes a structural transformation from a benzenoid to a quinoid configuration, enhancing conductivity. This transformation is due to the interaction between the π bonds of PEDOT: PSS and the Van der Waals forces between the tellurium (Te) atom layers of Bi2Te3. Second, the interfacial barrier between PEDOT: PSS and Bi2Te3 creates an energy-filtering effect that increases the Seebeck coefficient.

Study of the electronic transport performance of ZnO-SiO2 film: the construction of grain boundary barrier

Purpose The purpose of this study is to adjust the electronic transport performance of zinc oxide–silicon dioxide (ZnO-SiO2) film by the construction of a grain boundary barrier. Design/methodology/approach ZnO-SiO2 thin films were prepared on glass substrates by a simple sol-gel method. The crystal structure of ZnO and ZnO-SiO2 powders were tested by X-ray diffraction with copper (Cu) Kα radiation. The absorption spectra of ZnO and ZnO-SiO2 films were recorded by a ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometer. The micro electrical transport performance of ZnO-SiO2 thin films were investigated by conductive atomic force microscope and electrostatic force microscope. Findings The results show that the current of ZnO-SiO2 film decrease, indicating that the mobility of ZnO-SiO2 film is greatly decreased, owing to the formation of the grain boundary barrier between ZnO and SiO2. The phase variation of ZnO-SiO2 film increases due to the electron accumulation at grain boundaries. Originality/value ZnO and ZnO-5SiO2 thin films prepared on glass substrates by a simple sol-gel method were first studied by CAFM and EFM. The band gaps of ZnO and ZnO-5SiO2 is ∼3.05 eV and 3.15 eV, respectively. The barrier height of ZnO-5SiO2 film increased by ∼0.015 eV after introducing SiO2. The phase variation intensity increased to a certain extent after doping SiO2, due to the increased GB barrier. ZnO-5SiO2 film will be a promising ETL candidate in the application of QLEDs field.

Effect of HPHT technology and Se doping on thermoelectric properties of In filled Fe doped CoSb3 materials

Skutterudite (CoSb3) is a kind of promising environment-friendly medium-temperature thermoelectric material. Indium-filled CoSb3 has been widely studied, but its bipolar effect, which is commonly generated between 600 and 700 K, seriously hinders the increase of Seebeck coefficient and zT value. The zT value not only directly reflects the overall thermoelectric performance of the material, but also reflects the thermoelectric conversion efficiency of the device. In this work, In filled and Fe, Se double doped CoSb3 materials were successfully prepared by high-temperature and high-pressure synthesis method (HPHT), with a significant shorten synthesis time of 30 mins for each sample. This research has shown that after Se doping via HPHT synthesis method, the bipolar effect of In-filled CoSb3 was significantly suppressed, thus the temperature limitations of electrical transport performance has been overcome. Through the further microstructure analysis, it was found that the crystal structure of sample In0.5Fe0.01Co3.99Sb11.91Se0.09 has the characteristics of multiple grain sizes and complex defect types. And these two microscopic morphological characteristics resulted in the sample obtaining a minimum lattice thermal conductivity of 0.94 Wm−1K−1 at a test temperature of 773.15 K. Through synergistic optimization of synthesis methods and element substitution, the maximum zT value of 1.21 of the sample In0.5Fe0.01Co3.99Sb11.91Se0.09 has been found at 773.15 K.

Thermoelectric performance of Ag2GeX3 (X = S, Se, Te) with intrinsically low lattice thermal conductivity: A first principles study

Low lattice thermal conductivity is one of the key factor for excellent thermoelectric performance of materials. In this work, we have systematically studied the thermoelectric properties of Ag2GeX3 (X = S, Se, Te) by first-principles calculations in combination with Boltzmann transport theory. In terms of phonon transmission performance, due to the low frequency of acoustic phonons, strong coupling between low-frequency optical phonons and acoustic phonons, and relatively strong anharmonicity, Ag2GeX3 (X = S, Se, Te) exhibits extremely low lattice thermal conductivity of 0.30 Wm−1K−1, 0.28 Wm−1K−1 and 0.65 Wm−1K−1 at room temperature, respectively. At the same time, Ag2GeX3 (X = S, Se, Te) also exhibits good electrical transport performance. The appropriate band gap and high slope of electronic density of states (DOS) near the Fermi level result in a large Seebeck coefficient of the materials. As a result, the optimal ZT values of p(n)-type Ag2GeX3 (X = S, Se, Te) are 1.4(1.2), 2.2(0.7), and 0.9(0.7) at 800 K, respectively. These results demonstrate outstanding thermoelectric performance of Ag2GeSe3 for energy conversion applications.

Obtained large room-temperature TCR of La0.67Ca0.25Sr0.08MnO3 ceramics by optimizing sintering temperature

Over the past few decades, perovskite manganese oxide Lax(CaSr)1-xMnO3 has presented new opportunities for uncooled infrared bolometers due to its exceptional electrical transport performance. In this study, La0.67Ca0.25Sr0.08MnO3 (LCSMO) ceramics were prepared at different sintering temperatures (Ts, Ts = 1450, 1470, 1490, 1510, 1530 °C) by changing the previous sol-gel preparation process parameters. The research results indicated that the tolerance factor (τ) of the ceramics is τ = 0.935, and all ceramics exhibit a Pnma space group perovskite structure with excellent crystallinity. LCSMO ceramics exhibit good crystal quality and higher room-temperature TCR (14.58 % K−1) at Ts = 1510 °C. As Ts increases, the grain size, Mn–O bond length (dMn-O), Mn–O–Mn bond angle (θMn-O-Mn) and cell volume (V) of ceramics have a slight affected. The decrease of grain boundary scattering, electron-electron scattering, and strong coupling between electrons, so the peak resistivity value of all sintered samples firstly decreases and then increases with the increase in Ts, which effectively yields ceramics with high TCR. The peak TCR value (TCRmax) increased from 8.38 % K−1 (Ts = 1450 °C) at 296.91 K to 14.58 % K−1 (Ts = 1510 °C) at 298.18 K. On the same component, the TCRmax was increased by 42 % from 8.38 % K−1 to 14.58 % K−1 at Ts = 1450 °C–1510 °C. The high room-temperature TCR of LCSMO is expected to be used in advanced uncooled infrared bolometers, providing a basis for studying the influence of Ts on the electrical transport performance of ceramics.

Wenzhou TE: A First-Principle-Calculated Thermoelectric Materials Database.

Since the implementation of the Materials Genome Project by the Obama administration in the United States, the development of various computational materials' databases has fundamentally expanded the choice of industries such as materials and energy. In the field of thermoelectric materials, the thermoelectric figure of merit (ZT) quantifies the performance of the material. From the viewpoint of calculations for vast materials, the ZT values are not easily obtained due to their computational complexity. Here, we show how to build a database of thermoelectric materials based on first-principle calculations for the electronic and heat transport of materials. Firstly, the initial structures are classified according to the values of bandgap and other basic properties using the clustering algorithm K-means in machine learning, and high-throughput first principle calculations are carried out for narrow-bandgap semiconductors which exhibit a potential thermoelectric application. The present framework of calculations mainly includes a deformation potential module, an electrical transport performance module, a mechanical and a thermodynamic properties module. We have also set up a search webpage for the calculated database of thermoelectric materials, providing search facilities and the ability to view the related physical properties of materials. Our work may inspire the construction of more computational databases of first-principle thermoelectric materials and accelerate research progress in the field of thermoelectrics.

Dual-Cation CuAgSe-Based Material: Rapid Mass Transfer in Synthesis and High Thermoelectric Performance Realization.

Understanding mass transfer mechanisms is vital for developing new material synthesis and densification technologies. Ion transport, serving both mass and charge transfer, is essential for the rapid preparation of high-performance fast ionic conductor thermoelectric materials like Zn4Sb3 and Cu2Q (Q = S, Se). In the case of dual-cation fast ion conductor materials like CuAgSe, exploring the relationship between cation transport becomes pertinent. In this study, copper (Cu) and selenium (Se) undergo a reaction in the presence of an electric field (∼15 A), resulting in the formation of the CuSe compound. Subsequent to this initial reaction, a subsequent thermal environment facilitates the interaction among Cu, CuSe, and Ag2Se, culminating in the rapid formation and densification of CuAgSe (with a relative density exceeding 99%) in just 30 s. Evidently, the diffusion of copper ions substantiates a pivotal role in facilitating mass transfer. As a result, CuAg1+xSe samples with different silver contents (x = 0.01, 0.02, 0.03, 0.04 and 0.05) can effectively inhibit cation vacancy, and introduce highly ordered Ag nanotwins to enhance the electrical transport performance. For CuAg1.04Se, a peak ZT value of 1.0 can be achieved at 673 K, which is comparable to the literatures. This work will guide the future electric field-assisted rapid mass transfer of materials.

Enhanced power factor and figure of merit through magnesium doping in Sb2Si2Te6

We report here a high thermoelectric performance in magnesium (Mg) doped Sb2Si2Te6. The substitution of Mg2+ for Sb3+ in Sb2Si2Te6 induces a synergetic effect on electrical transport performance, exciting multi-band carrier transport behavior, enhancing carrier concentration, and increasing the density of states effective mass. Such effects lead to the highest power factor of 10.95 μW cm−1 K−2 at 824 K for the Sb1.99Mg0.01Si2Te6, representing a ∼22 % increase compared to pristine Sb2Si2Te6. In addition, Mg doping induces MgSb− point defects phonon scattering, resulting in a low thermal conductivity of ∼0.52 W m−1 K−1 at 824 K. The simultaneous optimization of the power factor and thermal conductivity in Sb1.99Mg0.01Si2Te6 leads to a peak ZT of ∼1.15 at 824 K and an average ZT of ∼0.68 (400−824 K), showing its potential for power generator at medium temperature.

Changing the Ca2+ ion ratio to modulate the temperature coefficient of resistivity (TCR) of La1-xCaxMnO3 films prepared by the sol-gel spin coating method

Perovskite manganese oxides are highly desirable for infrared acquisition owing to their characteristics of ferromagnetic metal-paramagnetic insulators. In this work, the sol-gel spin-coating technique was employed to prepare La1-xCaxMnO3 (LCMO) films with varying Ca2+ content (x = 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, 0.5) on the (l00) LaAlO3 (LAO) substrates. In comparison to previous studies, the pre-sintering temperature, final sintering temperature, and final sintering period were modified. The crystal structure, surface topography, elemental valence states, and electrical transport performance of the LCMO films were characterized and analyzed as well. The results demonstrated that the diffraction peaks of the above films were aligned with those of the LAO single-crystal substrate. The change in Ca2+ content caused an increase in the Mn–O bond length, the amount of Mn4+, and the Mn–O–Mn angle in LCMO films, promoting the double exchange effect. These modifications had a considerable impact on the resistivity of LCMO films, increasing their TCR value. The maximum TCR of 22.92% K−1 was reached at x = 0.3 and peak TCR temperature (Tk) of 241.93 K. Therefore, the film has great application potential for infrared bolometers.

Enhancing Electrical Transport Performance of Polycrystalline Tin Selenide by Doping Different Elements

In the face of ever‐evolving energy and environmental challenges, tin selenide (SnSe) has garnered significant attention due to its outstanding thermoelectric performance. The article focuses on the research of easily accessible and highly practical polycrystalline SnSe thermoelectric materials, providing an overview of their crystal structure, band structure, and electrical transport performance. Compared with previous studies, this research classifies elements based on their own properties, mainly dividing them into alkali metals, transition metals, main group metals, halogens, and rare earth (Re) elements. The study systematically summarizes the experimental results of doping SnSe with these elements and analyzes the mechanisms by which different elements enhance the electrical transport performance and thermoelectric figure of merit of polycrystalline SnSe. The enhanced mechanism is mainly achieved by increasing the conductivity and Seebeck coefficient. Finally, a systematic analysis is conducted to identify the factors that improve electrical transport performance, and strategies for enhancing the electrical transport and thermoelectric properties of polycrystalline SnSe through precise doping techniques are discussed, with a prospect for their application in the future.

In-situ formation of CrB minor phase during reactive spark plasma sintering leads to the enhancement in the electrical transport performance of boron doped chromium disilicide

The present study focuses on the synergistic effect of substitution and in-situ composite formation of CrB in B-doped CrSi2. The samples of CrSi2.05-xBx have been synthesized in a single step employing reactive spark plasma sintering process (SPS) at 1423 K and 60 MPa. The diffusion process accelerates at high temperature and pressure and leads to the formation of the CrSi2 major phase and CrB minor phase. The X-ray diffraction technique was used to determine the phase purity of the synthesized samples. A field emission scanning electron microscope was used to examine the surface morphology of the CrSi1.85B0.20 sample. The elemental mapping confirms the presence of the CrB phase in the CrSi2 matrix. A significant enhanced power factor ≃ 1.95 × 10−3 W/mK2 at 473 K for CrSi1.85B0.20 was observed, which is primarily due to the formation of in-situ secondary metallic CrB phase which leads to the enhancement in the electrical conductivity. Further, the Vickers microhardness was also determined which is increasing with increasing B-concentration and exhibits a maximum value of ≃ 13 GPa for CrSi1.85B0.20. To comprehend the underlying physics of the enhancement of electronic transport characteristics of B-doped CrSi2, we employed density functional theory to calculate the projected density of states, electronic transport properties, and electronic band structure of B-doped CrSi2 at different temperatures and B-concentrations.

Interlayer carrier high-speed conductive channels and excellent electrical transport performance of multilayer films

The high-speed conduction channels, spin-dependent scattering and weak localization effect induced by metal Fe-NP layers effectively enhance the electrical transport performance and cooling performance.

Theoretical study of adsorption properties and electrical transport performance of toxic gas molecules on novel orthorhombic BN monolayer semiconductor

The adsorption properties of toxic gases on the surface of low-dimensional nanomaterials are a research hot topic and key issue for developing semiconductor sensors to detect toxic gas molecules. Recently, a novel orthorhombic BN monolayer has attracted extensive attention from researchers. Using first principles calculations, we investigate the adsorption properties of typical toxic gas molecules, such as CO, H<sub>2</sub>S, NH<sub>3</sub>, NO, NO<sub>2</sub>, and SO<sub>2</sub> molecules, on the surface of two-dimensional (2D) orthorhombic BN monolayer adsorption. The calculated adsorption energy show that the adsorptions of the above six molecules on the surface of BN monolayer are energy-favorable exothermic processes. It is found that NO<sub>2</sub> and NH<sub>3</sub> molecules are of chemical adsorption, while other systems are of physical adsorption, and NO adsorbing system exhibits a spin-polarized electronic band structure. The calculated density of states reveals that the adsorption of NO molecule and SO<sub>2</sub> molecule have significant influences on the electronic structure near the Fermi level. Moreover, the adsorption of the NO<sub>2</sub> molecule on the substrate exhibits remarkable variation of the work function, suggesting that the o-BN monolayer possesses excellent selectivity and sensitivity to NO<sub>2</sub> molecule. In addition, we use first principles combined with non-equilibrium Green’s function to simulate the electrical transport properties of monolayered o-BN semiconductor based nanodevice with adsorption of typical toxic gas molecules. The <i>I-V</i><sub>b</sub> curve shows that the current through the nanodevice is 6500 nA for the NO<sub>2</sub> molecule adsorbing system under 1 V bias voltage. The calculation results reveal that the adsorption of NO<sub>2</sub> molecule on the o-BN monolayer can significantly enhance its electrical transport performance, and the o-BN monolayer possesses excellent sensitivity and selectivity to the NO<sub>2</sub> gas molecule. The work function and the charge transfer can be effectively manipulated by tensile strain, indicating its potential application in anisotropic electronics. Our results indicate that the o-BN monolayer has excellent adsorption performance to toxic gases, showing its practical application in capturing toxic gas molecules as a gas sensor in future.

Augmented near-room-temperature power factor of homogenously grown thermoelectric ZnO films

Future applications in power generation for wearable and portable electronics or active cooling for chips will benefit from near-room-temperature thermoelectric performance enhancement. Ga-doped ZnO (GZO) thin films are potential thermoelectric materials as they have the advantages of high cost-effectiveness, low toxicity, excellent stability, and high optical transparency. Inserting a ZnO buffer layer between the sapphire substrate and GZO thin films could contribute to optimizing carrier mobility and further improving electrical transport properties. However, thermoelectric performance at near-room-temperature ranges still needs to be promoted for practical applications. In this present study, ZnO single-crystal slices were directly selected as substrates for homogenously growing GZO thin films to further modify the substrate–film interface. The high Hall mobility of 47 cm2 V−1 s−1 and weighted mobility of 75 cm2 V−1 s−1 could be realized, resulting in better electrical transport performance. Consequently, the homogenously grown GZO thin films possessed competitively prominent power factor values of 333 μW m−1 K−2 at 300 K and 391 μW m−1 K−2 at 373 K. This work offers an effective avenue for optimizing the thermoelectric properties of oxide-based thin films via homogenous growth.

Thermoelectric properties of Co doped TiNiCo<sub><i>x</i></sub>Sn alloys fabricated by melt spinning

Although TiNiSn-based half-Heusler thermoelectric materials obtain high power factors, their high lattice thermal conductivity greatly hinders the improvement of thermoelectric properties. In this work, TiNiCo<sub><i>x</i></sub>Sn (<i>x</i> = 0–0.05) samples are prepared by melt spinning combined with spark plasma sintering method, and their phase, microstructure and thermoelectric properties are studied. The XRD results show that the main phase of all samples is TiNiSn phase, and no any other impurity phases are found, indicating that the high purity single phase can be prepared by rapid quenching process combined with SPS process. In the solidification process, the large cooling rate (10<sup>5</sup>–10<sup>6</sup> K/s) is conducive to obtaining the uniform nanocrystalline structure. The grains are closely packed, with grain sizes in a range of 200–600 nm. The grain sizes decrease to 50–400 nm for the Co-doping samples, which indicates that Co doping can reduce the grain size. For the <i>x</i> = 0 sample, the thermal conductivity of the rapid quenching sample is significantly lower than that of bulk sample, with an average decrease of about 17.8%. Compared with the TiNiSn matrix, the Co-doping sample has the thermal conductivity that decreases significantly, and the maximum decrease can reach about 38.9%. The minimum value of lattice thermal conductivity of TiNiCo<sub><i>x</i></sub>Sn samples is 3.19 W/(m·K). Therefore, Co doping can significantly reduce the <i>κ</i><sub>l</sub> values of TiNiCo<sub><i>x</i></sub>Sn (<i>x</i> = 0.01–0.05) samples. With the increase of Co doping amount <i>x</i>, n/p transition is observed in the TiNiCo<sub><i>x</i></sub>Sn samples, resulting in gradually reducing the conductivity and the power factor, and finally deteriorating the electrical transport performance, of which, the TiNiSn sample obtains the highest power factor of 29.56 W/(m·K<sup>2</sup>) at 700 K. The <i>ZT</i> value decreases with the Co doping amount <i>x</i> increasing, and the maximum <i>ZT</i> value of TiNiSn sample at 900 K is 0.48. This work shows that the thermal conductivity of TiNiSn can be effectively reduced by using the melt spinning process and magnetic Co doping.