Suppression of atom motion and metal deposition in mixed ionic electronic conductors

Pengfei Qiu, Matthias T. Agne, Yongying Liu, Yaqin Zhu, Hongyi Chen, Tao Mao, Jiong Yang, Wenqing Zhang, Sossina M. Haile, Wolfgang G. Zeier, Jürgen Janek, Ctirad Uher, Xun Shi (), Lidong Chen () and G. Jeffrey Snyder ()
Additional contact information
Pengfei Qiu: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Matthias T. Agne: Northwestern University
Yongying Liu: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Yaqin Zhu: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Hongyi Chen: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Tao Mao: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Jiong Yang: Shanghai University
Wenqing Zhang: South University of Science and Technology of China
Sossina M. Haile: Northwestern University
Wolfgang G. Zeier: Justus-Liebig-University Giessen, Heinrich-Buff-Ring 17
Jürgen Janek: Justus-Liebig-University Giessen, Heinrich-Buff-Ring 17
Ctirad Uher: University of Michigan
Xun Shi: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Lidong Chen: Chinese Academy of Sciences
G. Jeffrey Snyder: Northwestern University

Nature Communications, 2018, vol. 9, issue 1, 1-8

Abstract: Abstract Many superionic mixed ionic–electronic conductors with a liquid-like sublattice have been identified as high efficiency thermoelectric materials, but their applications are limited due to the possibility of decomposition when subjected to high electronic currents and large temperature gradients. Here, through systematically investigating electromigration in copper sulfide/selenide thermoelectric materials, we reveal the mechanism for atom migration and deposition based on a critical chemical potential difference. Then, a strategy for stable use is proposed: constructing a series of electronically conducting, but ion-blocking barriers to reset the chemical potential of such conductors to keep it below the threshold for decomposition, even if it is used with high electric currents and/or large temperature differences. This strategy not only opens the possibility of using such conductors in thermoelectric applications, but may also provide approaches to engineer perovskite photovoltaic materials and the experimental methods may be applicable to understanding dendrite growth in lithium ion batteries.

Date: 2018
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-05248-8

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