Is LiI a Potential Dopant Candidate to Enhance the Thermoelectric Performance in Sb-Free GeTe Systems? A Prelusive Study

Bhuvanesh Srinivasan, David Berthebaud and Takao Mori
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Bhuvanesh Srinivasan: CNRS-Saint Gobain-NIMS, UMI 3629, Laboratory for Innovative Key Materials and Structures (LINK), National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS), Tsukuba 305-0044, Japan
David Berthebaud: CNRS-Saint Gobain-NIMS, UMI 3629, Laboratory for Innovative Key Materials and Structures (LINK), National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS), Tsukuba 305-0044, Japan
Takao Mori: Center for Functional Sensor & Actuator (CFSN) & WPI Center for Materials Nanoarchitechtonics (WPI-MANA), National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS), Tsukuba 305-0044, Japan

Energies, 2020, vol. 13, issue 3, 1-7

Abstract: As a workable substitute for toxic PbTe-based thermoelectrics, GeTe-based materials are emanating as reliable alternatives. To assess the suitability of LiI as a dopant in thermoelectric GeTe, a prelusive study of thermoelectric properties of GeTe 1−x LiI x ( x = 0–0.02) alloys processed by Spark Plasma Sintering (SPS) are presented in this short communication. A maximum thermoelectric figure of merit, zT ~ 1.2, was attained at 773 K for 2 mol% LiI-doped GeTe composition, thanks to the combined benefits of a noted reduction in the thermal conductivity and a marginally improved power factor. The scattering of heat carrying phonons due to the presumable formation of Li-induced “pseudo-vacancies” and nano-precipitates contributed to the conspicuous suppression of lattice thermal conductivity, and consequently boosted the zT of the Sb-free (GeTe) 0.98 (LiI) 0.02 sample when compared to that of pristine GeTe and Sb-rich (GeTe) x (LiSbTe 2 ) 2 compounds that were reported earlier.

Keywords: thermoelectrics; GeTe; LiI as dopant; enhanced power factor; suppressed thermal transport (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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