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      https://www.ias.ac.in/article/fulltext/boms/046/0037

    • Keywords

       

      Energy; thermoelectrics; high temperature; thermoelectric power factor; figure of merit.

    • Abstract

       

      Among the numerous thermoelectric compounds, ${\beta}$-Zn$_4$Sb$_3$ has gained significant interest as a promising thermoelectric material due to its effective working temperature range and enhanced figure of merit (ZT) values. In this work, the effect of Se doping in ${\beta}$-Zn$_4$Sb$_3$ system has been studied. The structure refinement of the prepared Zn$_{3.9}$Se$_{0.1}$Sb$_3$ solid solution was carried out using Rietveld refinement analysis, which confirms that the compound crystallizes in hexagonal rhombohedric structure with R-3c space group. Temperature-dependent electrical conductivity (${\sigma}$) of the sample has been measured in the temperature range of 300–610 K. At room temperature, the electrical conductivity value of the sample was found to be high (${\sim}$1919 S m$^{-1}$) and it tends to decrease upon increasing the temperature up to 514 K and thereafter slightly increases, which indicates the typical metallic to semiconductor transition behaviour of the prepared compound. The positive Hall coefficient (R$_H$) value reveals that the holes are the dominant charge carriers (p-type) in the prepared sample. The power factor value (${\sigma}$S$^2$) of the sample increases linearly with increase in temperature up to 610 K. Hence the Se substitution in pristine ${\beta}$-Zn$_4$Sb$_3$ possesses greater effect in inducing superior thermoelectric power factor values. Temperature-dependent total thermal conductivity ($k_{total}$) of Zn$_{3.9}$Se$_{0.1}$Sb$_3$ sample is measured in the temperature range of 300 to 610 K. At room temperature, the $k_{total}$ value of the sample was found to be very low (${\sim}$1 Wm$^{-1}$ K$^{-1}$) and it decreases linearly with increasing the temperature. At 610 K, the sample shows merely ultra-low-thermal conductivity value (${\sim}$0.6 Wm$^{-1}$ K$^{-1}$). A peak ZT value of ${\sim}$0.3 was obtained in Zn$_{3.9}$Se$_{0.1}$Sb$_3$ solid solution at 610 K, which was found to be quite competitive with the current thermoelectric materials.

    • Author Affiliations

       

      N KARTHIKEYAN1 B KAVIN KUMAR2 G SATHISH KUMAR3 R AKILAN4

      1. Department of Physics, Anna University, Chennai 600025, India
      2. Department of Physics, D. G. Vaishnav College, Chennai 600106, India
      3. Department of Physics, Sri Sai Ram Engineering College, Chennai 600044, India
      4. Faculty of Science, Aksheyaa College of Arts and Science, Chennai 603314, India
    • Dates

       
  • Bulletin of Materials Science | News

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