Electron Phonon Research Articles

Quantification of the strong, phonon-induced Urbach tails in β-Ga2O3 and their implications on electrical breakdown

In ultrawide bandgap (UWBG) nitride and oxide semiconductors, increased bandgap (Eg) correlates with greater ionicity and strong electron–phonon coupling. This limits mobility through phonon scattering, localizes carriers via polarons and self-trapping, broadens optical transitions via dynamic disorder, and modifies the breakdown field. Herein, we use polarized optical transmission spectroscopy from 77 to 633 K to investigate the Urbach energy (Eu) for many orientations of Fe- and Sn-doped β-Ga2O3 bulk crystals. We find Eu values ranging from 60 to 140 meV at 293 K and that static (structural defects plus zero-point phonons) disorder contributes more to Eu than dynamic (finite temperature phonon-induced) disorder. This is evidenced by lack of systematic Eu anisotropy, and Eu correlating more with x-ray diffraction rocking-curve broadening than with Sn-doping. The lowest measured Eu are ∼10× larger than for traditional semiconductors, pointing out that band tail effects need to be carefully considered in these materials for high field electronics. We demonstrate that, because optical transmission through thick samples is sensitive to sub-gap absorption, the commonly used Tauc extraction of a bandgap from transmission through Ga2O3 >1–3 μm thick is subject to errors. Combining our Eu(T) from Fe-doped samples with Eg(T) from ellipsometry, we extract a measure of an effective electron–phonon coupling that increases in weighted second order deformation potential with temperature and a larger value for E||b than E||c. The large electron–phonon coupling in β-Ga2O3 suggests that theories of electrical breakdown for traditional semiconductors need expansion to account not just for lower scattering time but also for impact ionization thresholds fluctuating in both time and space.

Doping dependence and multichannel mediators of superconductivity: calculations for a cuprate model

We study two aspects of the superconductivity in a cuprate model system, its doping dependence and the influence of competing pairing mediators. We first include electron–phonon interactions beyond Migdal’s approximation and solve self-consistently, as a function of doping and for an isotropic electron–phonon coupling, the full-bandwidth, anisotropic vertex-corrected Eliashberg equations under a non-interacting state approximation for the vertex correction. Our results show that such pairing interaction supports the experimentally observed dx2−y2 -wave symmetry of the superconducting gap, but only in a narrow doping interval of the hole-doped system. Depending on the coupling strength, we obtain realistic values for the gap magnitude and superconducting critical temperature Tc close to optimal doping, rendering the electron–phonon mechanism an important candidate for mediating superconductivity in this model system. Second, for a doping near optimal hole doping, we study multichannel superconductivity, by including both vertex-corrected electron–phonon interaction and spin and charge fluctuations as pairing mechanisms. We find that both mechanisms cooperate to support an unconventional d-wave symmetry of the order parameter, yet the electron–phonon interaction is mainly responsible for the Cooper pairing and high critical temperature Tc . Spin fluctuations are found to have a suppressing effect on the gap magnitude and critical temperature due to their repulsive interaction at small coupling wave vectors.

Thermal oscillations and resonance in electron–phonon interaction process

Thermal oscillations and resonance in electron–phonon interaction process

Integration of Heterogeneous Interfaces and Multi‐Dimensional Encapsulation Structure in Fe2N@CNTs Enabling Highly Efficient Thermal Management and Microwave Absorption

AbstractThe opposing effects of interface effect on phonon heat conduction and microwave absorption hinder the integration of thermal conduction with microwave absorption. Reconciling this contradiction by rationally optimizing the material structure remains a challenge. Herein, Fe2N@CNTs with heterogeneous interfaces and multi‐dimensional encapsulated structures are fabricated through in situ chemical vapor deposition (CVD) to realize excellent thermal conductivity and microwave absorption. When the mass fraction of active material is 40 wt.%, the thermal conductivity (λ//) of Fe2N@CNTs composite films is 6.69 W m−1 K−1. The minimum reflection loss (RLmin) is up to −54.55 dB at a thickness of 3.43 mm, and the effective absorption bandwidth (EAB) is 5.52 GHz at 1.82 mm. The well‐designed Fe2N@CNTs is an ideal model for gaining insight into electron transportation and phonon multi‐dimensional heat transport. Heterogeneous interface improves the dielectric loss and facilitates microwave and phonon absorption and conversion. The multi‐dimensional encapsulation structure increases the electron transport path and phonon heat transport paths making axial and radial co‐transfer possible. The multi‐dimensional encapsulation structure demonstrates extremely high microwave absorption and thermal management capabilities, which open up new possibilities for multifunctional applications in host materials with internal hollows.

Quantitative regulation of electron–phonon coupling

Electron–phonon (e–p) coupling plays a crucial role in various physical phenomena, and regulation of e–p coupling is vital for the exploration and design of high-performance materials. However, the current research on this topic lacks accurate quantification, hindering further understanding of the underlying physical processes and its applications. In this work, we demonstrate quantitative regulation of e–p coupling, by pressure engineering and in-situ spectroscopy. We successfully observe both a distinct vibrational mode and a strong Stokes shift in layered CrBr3, which are clear signatures of e–p coupling. This allows us to achieve precise quantification of the Huang–Rhys factor S at the actual sample temperature, thus accurately determining the e–p coupling strength. We further reveal that pressure efficiently regulates the e–p coupling in CrBr3, evidenced by a remarkable 40% increase in S value. Our results offer an approach for quantifying and modulating e–p coupling, which can be leveraged for exploring and designing functional materials with targeted e–p coupling strengths.

High‐Throughput Study of Ambient‐Pressure High‐Temperature Superconductivity in Ductile Few‐Hydrogen Metal‐Bonded Perovskites

AbstractSeveral multi‐hydrogen hydrides have exhibited high critical temperature (Tc) superconductivity, but the requirement for ultrahigh pressures limits their applications. Here, high‐throughput calculations are utilized to investigate the superconductivity in few‐hydrogen metal‐bonded (FHMB) perovskites (PVSKs) AHM3 characterized with perfect ambient‐pressure stability. AHM3 is classified into two groups, d and sp superconductors, and provide three indicators that accurately describe AHM3 superconductivity. i) Tc of d superconductors is positively correlated with the number of unpaired d electrons from M atoms; ii) A suitably sized octahedral interstice of H atom is essential for sp superconductors; iii) The introduction of H will further improve the superconductivity, when the M atom has a lower electronegativity than H. ZnHCr3 and ZnHAl3, perfectly meeting the requirements aforementioned, exhibit the highest Tc of 30 and 80 K among the d and sp superconductors, respectively. The results are helpful for understanding the electron–phonon coupling (EPC) mechanism in few‐hydrogen metal‐bonded perovskites and facilitate realizations of ambient‐pressure high‐Tc superconductivity in hydrides.

Differentiating contribution of electron–phonon coupling to the thermal boundary conductance of metal–metal–dielectric systems

Electron–phonon coupling thermal resistance in metals is a key factor affecting the thermal boundary conductance (TBC) of metal–metal–dielectric systems. However, quantitatively differentiating the contribution of electron–phonon coupling to TBC is still a challenge, as various thermal resistances are coupled in a complicated manner at the metal–metal–dielectric interface. Herein, we propose a two-step strategy to study electron–phonon coupling. We first decouple the phonon–phonon thermal conductance (TBCp-p) between metallic interlayer and dielectric from the metal–metal–dielectric interface by experimentally characterizing the TBCp-p of a single metallic interlayer deposited dielectric with the transient thermoreflectance technique; Combining metal–metal–dielectric TBC measurement and a thermal circuit model with measured TBCp-p as input, the contribution of electron–phonon coupling to TBC of the metal–metal–dielectric system is differentiated quantitatively. For the Au–Ni–GaN system, the contribution of electron–phonon coupling thermal resistance in the Ni interlayer (Re−ph,Ni) is substantially higher at lower Ni interlayer thickness, reaching 35% at ∼1 nm Ni. The electron–phonon coupling constant of Ni (gNi) was fitted in the range of 6.4 × 1016–36 × 1016 W/m3K. The above results were also verified in the Au–Ni–SiC system. This study will promote a deeper understanding of the thermal transport in the metal–metal–dielectric system and provide an insightful indication for the manipulation of TBC in this system.

Impact of Temperature on Seebeck Coefficient of Nodal Line Semimetal in Molecular Conductor

We examine the impact of temperature (T) on the Seebeck coefficient S, i.e., the T dependence of S for a single-component molecular conductor [Pd(dddt)2] (dddt = 5,6-dihydro-1,4-dithiin-2,3-dithiolate) with a half-filled band, where the coefficient is obtained from a ratio of the thermal conductivity to the electrical conductivity. The present paper demonstrates theoretically the novel result of large anisotropy in the Seebeck coefficient components of three-dimensional Dirac electrons in a molecular conductor. The conductor exhibits a nodal line with the energy variation around the chemical potential and provides the density of states (DOS) with a minimum. Using a threedimensional tight-binding (TB) model in the presence of both impurity and electron–phonon (e–p) scatterings, we study the Seebeck coefficient Sy for the molecular stacking and the most conducting direction. The impact of T on Sy exhibits a sign change, where Sy > 0 with a maximum at high temperatures and Sy < 0 with a minimum at low temperatures. The T dependence of Sy suggests that the contribution from the conduction (valence) band is dominant at low (high) temperatures. Further, it is shown that the the Seebeck coefficient components for perpendicular directions Sx and Sz are much smaller than Sy and present no sign change, in contrast to Sy. These results are analyzed in terms of the spectral conductivity as a function of the energy ϵ close to the chemical potential μ.

Electron–phonon interaction-driven dynamic conductivity in monolayer phosphorene with broken inversion symmetry

Electron–phonon interaction-driven dynamic conductivity in monolayer phosphorene with broken inversion symmetry

Screening effect on the phonon drag induced seebeck coefficient in bilayer graphene/quasi-two-dimensional electron gas structures

In this work, we investigate the impacts of the temperature-dependent screening effect on the Seebeck coefficient originating from the phonon drag, namely phonon—drag thermopower S g , of a double layer system consisting of bilayer graphene (BLG) separated from a quasi-two-dimensional electron gas (q2DEG) by an air medium (hereafter referred to as BLG-q2DEG). For such a system, we can assume that the two-dimensional (2D) electrons in BLG only interact internally with acoustic phonons. We consider the effects of screening induced by the 2D electrons in q2DEG on the electron–phonon interactions in BLG by comparing with the results obtained when only using the monolayer screening function in BLG. The monolayer screening functions in BLG (q2DEG) do not depend on the distance d between the two layers, and the screening function of the double layer system approaches the respective monolayer screening functions for large d. When taking into account of the screening effect caused by charged carriers in both layers, S g of a BLG-q2DEG decreases compared to the case of only considering the monolayer screening effect, especially in the low-T regime. With different carrier densities in the two layers NsBLG≠NsGaAs, it has shown that S g strongly depends on BLG. Besides, when changing the width L of the q2DEG such as GaAs quantum well, the double layer screening function makes S g increase for small L and negligibly affects S g for large L. On the contrary, the monolayer screening functions make S g decrease for large L. The monolayer screening functions cause S g to increase for NsBLG<NsGaAs.

Ab Initio Investigation of the Relativistic Effect in the Physical Properties of Intermetallic Superconductor TlBi2${\rm TlBi}_2$ with AlB2${\rm AlB}_2$‐Type Hexagonal Layer Structure

AbstractIn this work, the role of spin‐orbit coupling (SOC) in the physical properties of is reported. These electronic calculations reveal that the heavy elements Tl and Bi promote strong spin‐orbit coupling, lifting some of the degeneracies at the high‐symmetry points. The presence of SOC causes significant decreases in both elastic constants and elastic moduli, which in turn improve the compatibility of the calculated Debye temperature ( = 80 K) with the recent experimental data of 83 K. Furthermore, our quasi‐static harmonic approximation calculation, like this elastic constant calculation, confirms that taking SOC into account improves agreement with the experiment by decreasing value of Debye temperature from 95 to 85 K. Activating the SOC causes significant modifications in the phonon spectrum and the density of phonon states, as well as in the Eliashberg spectral function. As a result of these modifications, the electron–phonon coupling parameter () increases from 1.178 to 1.259, by . The calculated values of both with and without SOC imply that can be treated as phonon‐mediated superconductor with strong coupling. The SOC‐induced increase in brings the superconducting transition temperature of from 6.076 to 6.211 K, which is almost equal to the recent experimental value of 6.2 K.

Enhancement of superconductivity in Zr2S2C arising from phonon softening on transition from bulk to monolayer

We report a new compound, Zr2S2C, belonging to the transition metal carbo-chalcogenide (TMCC) family. Through first-principles calculations, our analysis of phonon dispersion spectra indicates that the compound is dynamically stable in both bulk and monolayer forms. We systematically investigated the electronic structure, phonon dispersion, and electron–phonon coupling (EPC) driven superconducting properties in bulk and monolayer Zr2S2C. The results demonstrate the metallic character of bulk Zr2S2C, with a weak EPC strength (λ) of 0.41 and superconducting critical temperature ( Tc ) of ∼3 K. The monolayer Zr2S2C has an enhanced λ of 0.62 and Tc of ∼6.4 K. The increased λ value in the monolayer results from the softening of the acoustic phonon mode. We found that when biaxial strain is applied, the low energy acoustic phonon mode in monolayer becomes even softer. This softening leads to a transformation of the Zr2S2C monolayer from its initial weak coupling state (λ = 0.62) to a strongly coupled state, resulting in an increased λ value of 1.33. Consequently, the superconducting critical temperature experiences a twofold increase. These findings provide a theoretical framework for further exploration of the layered two-dimensional TMCC family, in addition to offering valuable insights.

Large and Small Polarons in Highly Efficient and Stable Organic‐Inorganic Lead Halide Perovskite Solar Cells: A Review

Polarons, which arise from the intricate interplay between excess electrons and/or holes and lattice vibrations (phonons), represent quasiparticles pivotal to the electronic behavior of materials. This review reaffirms the established classification of small and large polarons, emphasizing its relevance in the context of recent advances in understanding lead halide perovskites' behavior. The distinct characteristics of large and small polarons stem from the electron–phonon interaction range, which exerts a profound influence on materials’ characteristics and functionalities. Concurrently, lead halides have emerged with exceptional opto‐electronic properties, featuring prolonged carrier lifetimes, low recombination rates, high defect tolerance, and moderate charge carrier mobilities; these characteristics make them a compelling contender for integration of optoelectronic devices. In this review, the formation of both small and large polarons within the lattice of lead halide perovskites, elucidating their role in protecting photogenerated charge carriers from recombination processes, is discussed. As optoelectronic devices continue to advance, this review underscores the importance of unraveling polaron dynamics to pave the way for innovative strategies for enhancing the performance of next‐generation photovoltaic technologies. Future research should explore novel polaronic effects using advanced computational and experimental techniques, enhancing our understanding and unlocking new applications in materials science and device engineering.

TTEP: A code for efficient calculation of the thermal transport from constant electron-phonon coupling approximation

A Fortran code named TTEP (Thermal Transport from constant Electron-Phonon coupling approximation) is presented in this work. Within the framework of first-principles calculation, this code utilizes the deformation potential approximation to replace the electron–phonon (EP) coupling matrix element in the phonon scattering due to EP interaction. By adopting this approximation, our method achieves a balance between computational efficiency and accuracy, enabling the exploration of the thermal transport from EP interaction with much reduced computational consumption. One of the key features of TTEP is its versatility in handling a broad range of carrier concentration, including both hole and electron doping. We also extend the applicability of TTEP to actual doping case and capture EP effect over a wide temperature range. Other scattering mechanisms, such as grain boundary scattering and phonon–phonon interaction, have been included in the calculation of lattice thermal conductivity through the Matthiessen’s rule. Several test cases are presented in this work to demonstrate the above features.

Influence of electron–phonon interaction on linear and nonlinear magneto-optical absorption properties in monolayer transition metal dichalcogenides

In this study, we investigate the linear and non-linear magneto-optical properties of TMDC monolayer semiconductors MX2 (M = Mo/W, X = S/Se) in a perpendicular magnetic field by evaluating the magneto-optical absorption coefficients (MOACs) and the refractive index changes (RICs) subject to the influence of electron–phonon interaction (EPI). Our results are achieved by considering the influence of electron couplings with acoustic (AC) and optical (OP) phonons via the absorption (AB) and emission (EM) mechanisms. When compared to the neglected EPI case, the intensity of the linear MOAC and RIC increases about 2.6–4 times and 5.3–10.5 times, respectively. The absorption peaks exhibit the blue-shifts, with the largest blue-shift observed for the OP-EM phonon scatterings, followed by the AC phonons and the smallest for the OP-AB phonon scatterings. Meanwhile, the greatest contribution to MOAC and RIC comes from the OP-AB phonons, which is followed by that of the AC phonons and the OP-EM phonons, respectively. The MoX2 group is more significantly affected by the scattering mechanism compared to the WX2 one. Although the OP-EM phonons contribution for the MoX2 group is much smaller than that of the other two interaction mechanisms, it nevertheless produces a very noticeable blue-shift. Meanwhile, for the WX2 group, all three mechanisms erect comparable results. The biggest (smallest) value of the linear MOAC and RIC are both founded in MoSe2 (MoS2). Notably, the absolute values of the non-linear MOAC and RIC terms increase by tens to hundreds of times, leading to the total MOAC terms being negative, contrary to when EPI is not taken into account, while the characteristics of the non-linear RIC curves also undergo considerable changes. Among the four TMDC materials, MoX2 is more significantly affected by the EPI effect than WX2.

Elucidation of annealing effects on austenite–martensite and magnetic phase transitions in Mn2Ni1.6Sn0.4 ribbons synthesized from bulk alloys prepared by RF induction melting

We investigate the consequences of annealing on the structure, microstructure, magnetic, and electrical transport of Mn2Ni1.6Sn0.4 ribbons. The 40–60 μm thick ribbons were formed by melt spinning of the bulk ingot synthesized by RF induction melting. Ribbons were annealed at 600 °C for 12 hrs and the other at 800 °C for 2 hrs in vacuum. All ribbons crystallize into a cubic symmetry (space group F4¯3m). The orthorhombic phase appears as the secondary one. In ribbons annealed at 600 °C, the crystallite size decreases from ∼ 47 nm to ∼ 29 nm, and annealing at 800 °C doubles the crystallite size to ∼ 96 nm. The least amount of microstrains (17x10−4) in the as-synthesized ribbon is consistent with the occurrence of the superlattice peaks (111) and (200). Lower intensities of the superlattice peaks in 600 °C and 800 °C ribbons are consistent with higher microstrains (25x10−4 and 24x10−4). Hence, a higher degree of Ni-Mn ordering improves magnetic properties in annealed samples. The as-synthesized ribbon has an austenite-phase Curie temperature of TCA∼303K, which enhances to TCA∼320K and TCA∼310K after annealing at 600 °C and 800 °C. The ribbon annealed at 600 °C has the highest saturation moment. All the ribbons show the exchange-bias (EB) effect, and the most pronounced effect is seen in the 800 °C annealed ribbon. Microstructure uniformization and relative strengths of the Ni-Mn and Mn-Mn interactions improve the magnetics. Near TC, MT=M0TC-Tβ is satisfied (β = 0.31, 0.36, and 0.37, for as-synthesized, 600 °C and 800 °C annealed ribbons). The low-temperature spontaneous magnetization obeys the Bloch law MT=M01-AT32, with a deviation in 600 °C annealed ribbon due to spin freezing. The ρ-T has been fitted in the different temperature ranges using the various combinations in ρT=ρ0+AphT+BsdTα. At T < 85 K, the resistivity of the as-synthesized ribbon follows ρT=ρ0+BsdTα, with α≈1.47, while for the 600 °C annealed ribbon, α≈1.49. The exponent α∼1.5 supports the existence of the spin glass state in the lower temperature region of as-synthesized and 600 °C annealed ribbons. In the high-temperature range, the linear ρ-T behavior is described by ρT=ρ0+AphT and consistent with the electron–phonon scattering.

First-principles study of carrier mobility and strain effect in MX (M=Sn, Pb; X=P, As) monolayers

The pursuit of two-dimensional semiconductor materials that feature tunable electronic structures and high mobility is crucial for advancing nanoelectronic and optoelectronic devices. In this study, the MX monolayers (M = Sn, Pb; N = P, As) are investigated with first-principles calculations based on Boltzmann transport theory. The results show that SnP, SnAs, and PbAs all exhibit indirect band gaps, whereas PbP is the only semiconductor with a direct band gap. One important finding is that intravalley scattering has a significant impact on electron–phonon coupling. Interestingly, changes in carrier concentration do not affect the electron mobility within these MX monolayers, with SnP exhibiting the highest electron mobility among them. Subsequently, the SnP under a 6% biaxial strain is further explored and the results demonstrated a considerable increase in electron mobility to 2,511.9 cm 2V−1s−1 , which is attributable to decreased scattering. This suggests that MX monolayers, especially SnP, are promising options for 2D semiconductor materials in the future.

Two-dimensional superconductivity in hexagonal layered Na2B2H structure at ambient pressure

Alkaline metal and alkaline earth metal borohydrides may provide ideal candidates for high-temperature superconductors. By replacing the metal element of the layered hexagonal structure Li2B2H in our earlier work, a novel energetically metastable hexagonal Na2B2H, designated as h-Na2B2H, was proposed at ambient condition. First-principles calculations suggest that h-Na2B2H may be prepared from Na3B20, Na, and H2 or from the pure elements by utilizing high-temperature and high-pressure technology. The h-Na2B2H exhibits the highest tensile stress of 24.2 GPa at a strain of 0.245 along the [1–10] direction among the four directions [100], [001], [110], and [1–10]. Electronic property calculations reveal that h-Na2B2H holds two-dimensional conductivity along B atom layers. Electron–phonon coupling calculation indicates h-Na2B2H has a Tc of 42.4 K with λ = 1.73. The superconductivity in h-Na2B2H primarily depends on the Na and B atomic vibrations. Thus, h-Na2B2H can be a potential superconducting material with 2D conductivity at atmosphere pressure.

Thermoelectric enhancement in perovskite type textured Me0.85TiO3 ceramics by synergistic high-entropy and microstructure manipulations

Enhancing the figure-of-merit (ZT) for thermoelectric ceramics essentially needs strategies that aim to concurrently optimize electron and phonon transport properties to decouple their coupling relationship. This work developed 〈001〉 -textured Me0.85TiO3(Me = La, Sr, Ba, Ca) ceramics (LSBC-T) with a texture fraction of 92 % fabricated by a tape casting process combined with template grain-growth method, in which 10 wt% (001) oriented plate-like SrTiO3 serves as template seed and A-site deficient high-entropy (La0.25Sr0.25Ba0.25Ca0.25)0.85TiO3 composite was used as matrix material. A peak ZT of 0.27 was attained at 1073 K in the sample parallel to the tape casting direction which was twice the ZT = 0.13 of the non-textured sample. Quantitative analysis of atomic displacement disorder of A-site elements would provide an atomistic-scale understanding of grain orientation evolution with high texture degree and the low thermal conductivity of 1.79 W/(m‧K) at 1073 K. The complex multi-scale defects consist of cation and oxygen vacancies, edge dislocations, parallel grain boundaries, phase interfaces, nanoscale metal/inorganic coexisting clusters, and metal Bi sandwich layer, which act as additional phonon scattering centers while affecting carrier transport, covering all frequency phonons (100 GHz-15 THz). In addition, multi-scale parallel interfaces, including atomic-scale crystal (00l) plane of SrTiO3 seed, nano-scale “core-shell” interface parallel to the (00l) plane, metal Bi particle forming a sandwich layer in SrTiO3 seed, and “brick-wall” textured grain boundaries, make the electrical and thermal conductivity exhibiting obvious anisotropy in this LSBC-T high-entropy textured ceramics. By utilizing texture engineering in high-entropy systems, this work provides a theoretical foundation and technical support for the advancement of microstructure manipulations to reduce the inherent lattice thermal conductivity, achieve electrical and thermal conductivity anisotropy to decouple the electron–phonon coupling relationship, and thereby enhance thermoelectric properties.

Enhanced Thermoelectric Performance of PbTe Nanocomposites with Ag Nanoinclusions

Nanocomposites have already been widely used to enhance thermoelectric performance since they exhibit exceptionally low lattice thermal conductivities. Further improvement is expected to arise from boosting the power factor and charge carrier relevant figure of merit ZT with nanoinclusions. Here we present that Ag nanoscale inclusions embedding in the n-PbTe can meet this requirement. The quantitative relationships between such nanostructures in PbTe and thermoelectric properties, using a versatile model including the details of geometry, electron–phonon interactions, quantization, and tunneling, showed that the Seebeck coefficient can be significantly enhanced due to interface potential barrier induced by Ag nanoinclusions. Additionally, it was found that high-concentration Ag nanoinclusions with 1–2 nm radius can effectively enhance the thermoelectric performance of PbTe through energy-selective carrier scattering, especially around room temperature. The power factor and charge carrier relevant figure of merit ZT can be elevated by at least 80% and 260%, respectively. These findings highlight effective strategies to nanostructuring for overcoming the high threshold to commercial application for cooling and power generation.