Ultrahigh thermoelectricity obtained in classical BiSbTe alloy processed under super-gravity

Min Zhou (), Haojian Su, Jun Pei, Li Wang, Hualu Zhuang, Jing-Feng Li (), Kun Song, Haoyang Hu, Jun Jiang (), Qinghua Zhang, Jiangtao Li and Laifeng Li ()
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Min Zhou: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Haojian Su: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Jun Pei: University of Science and Technology Beijing
Li Wang: Tianjin Sino-German University of Applied Science
Hualu Zhuang: Tsinghua University
Jing-Feng Li: Tsinghua University
Kun Song: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Haoyang Hu: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Jun Jiang: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Qinghua Zhang: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Jiangtao Li: University of Science and Technology of China
Laifeng Li: Chinese Academy of Sciences

Nature Communications, 2025, vol. 16, issue 1, 1-11

Abstract: Abstract Thermoelectric materials allow direct conversion between heat and electricity and may be useful for power generation or solid-state refrigeration. However, improving thermoelectric performance is challenging because of the strong coupling between the electrical and thermal transport properties. We demonstrate a new super-gravity-field re-melting fabrication technology that synergistically optimizes the thermoelectric performance. Using a super-gravity field, the brittle (Bi,Sb)2Te3 alloy undergoes unusual plastic deformation and forms mounts of microstructure defects, which is rarely observed in common fabrication process. As a result, the microstructure reconstruction and carrier concentration optimization were simultaneously realized, resulting in an ultra-low lattice thermal conductivity of 1.91 in the BiSbTe alloy. The strong enhancement of thermoelectric properties was validated in a thermoelectric module with high conversion efficiency of 6.4% and corresponding output power density of 0.34 W/cm2 when subjected to a temperature difference of 185 K. This work highlights a new super-gravity strategy to achieve a high thermoelectric performance, which may be applicable to other thermoelectric materials.

Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-62611-2

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