High Performance Thermoelectric Power of Bi0.5Sb1.5Te3 Through Synergistic Cu2GeSe3 and Se Incorporations.

Bi2Te3-based alloys are the benchmark for commercial thermoelectric (TE) materials, the widespread demand for low-grade waste heat recovery and solid-state refrigeration makes it imperative to enhance the figure-of-merits. In this study, high-performance Bi0.5Sb1.5Te3 (BST) is realized by incorporating Cu2GeSe3 and Se. Concretely, the diffusion of Cu and Ge atoms optimizes the hole concentration and raises the density-of-states effective mass (md *), compensating for the loss of "donor-like effect" exacerbated by ball milling. The subsequent Se addition further increases md *, enabling a total 28% improvement of room-temperature power factor (S2σ), reaching 43.6 µW cm-1 K-2 compared to the matrix. Simultaneously, the lattice thermal conductivity is also significantly suppressed by multiscale scattering sources represented by Cu-rich nanoparticles and dislocation arrays. The synergistic effects yield a peak ZT of 1.41 at 350 K and an average ZT of 1.23 (300-500 K) in the Bi0.5Sb1.5Te2.94Se0.06 + 0.11 wt.% Cu2GeSe3 sample. More importantly, the integrated 17-pair TE module achieves a conversion efficiency of 6.4%, 80% higher than the commercial one at ΔT = 200 K. These results validate that the facile composition optimization of the BST/Cu2GeSe3/Se is a promising strategy to improve the application of BST-based TE modules.

Enhanced Thermoelectric Performance of P-Type (Bi,Sb)2 Te3 by Incorporating Non-Stoichiometric Ag5 Te3 and Refining Te-Se Ratio.

Power generation modules utilizing thermoelectric (TE) materials are suitable for recycling widespread low-grade waste heat (<600 K), highlighting the immediate necessity for advanced Bi2 Te3 -based alloys. Herein, the substantial enhancement in TE performance of the p-type Bi0.4 Sb1.6 Te3 (BST) sintered sample is realized by subtly incorporating the non-stoichiometric Ag5 Te3 and counteractive Se. Specifically, Ag atoms diffused into the BST lattice improve the density-of-states effective mass (md * ) and boost the hole concentration for the suppressed bipolar effect. The addition of Se further improves md * prompting the room-temperature power factor upgrade to 46 W cm-1  K-2 . Concurrently, the lattice thermal conductivity is considerably lowered by multiple scattering sources exemplified by Sb-rich nanoprecipitates and dense dislocations. These synergistic results yield a high peak ZT of 1.44 at 375 K and an average ZT of 1.28 between 300 and 500 K in the Bi0.4 Sb1.6 Te2.95 Se0.05 + 0.05 wt.% Ag5 Te3 sample. More significantly, when coupled with n-type zone-melted Bi2 Te2.7 Se0.3 , the integrated 17-pair TE module achieves a competitive conversion efficiency of 6.1% and an output power density of 0.40 W cm-2 at a temperature difference of 200 K, demonstrating great potential for practical applications.

Optimized Thermoelectric Cooler Performance by the Structure-Matching Design of Asymmetrical p/n-Type Legs.

Commercial Bi2Te3-based thermoelectric (TE) coolers typically comprise equal-size p- and n-type legs. However, this traditional structure limits the cooling temperature differences of TE coolers (TECs) due to identical current density, when their electrical or thermal characteristics differ significantly. This work presents a novel design of p- and n-type TE legs to optimize the performance of TECs. The cooling properties of the materials are initially calculated by theoretical equations and then evaluated by using a combination of finite element simulations and experiments. The research findings suggest that by utilizing higher ZT p-type materials to enhance the TEC cooling performance, further optimization of the ratio of the cross-sectional area of the TE legs (Ap/An) improves the structural matching of the legs, which achieves the maximum figure of merit Z and leads to a 5.4% increase in cooling power density. Additionally, the TEC with optimized Ap/An increases the cooling temperature difference by 3.3 and 2.7 K for the same current at hot side temperatures of 300 and 315 K, respectively, while the coefficient of performance remains unchanged. Moreover, the maximum cooling temperature difference reaches 70 and 74 K, respectively. We anticipate that our results will guide the design and optimization of the TECs.

High-Performance Industrial-Grade p-Type (Bi,Sb)2 Te3 Thermoelectric Enabled by a Stepwise Optimization Strategy.

As the sole dominator of the commercial thermoelectric (TE) market, Bi2 Te3 -based alloys play an irreplaceable role in Peltier cooling and low-grade waste heat recovery. Herein, to improve the relative low TE efficiency determined by the figure of merit ZT, an effective approach is reported for improving the TE performance of p-type (Bi,Sb)2 Te3 by incorporating Ag8 GeTe6 and Se. Specifically, the diffused Ag and Ge atoms into the matrix conduce to optimized carrier concentration and enlarge the density-of-states effective mass while the Sb-rich nanoprecipitates generate coherent interfaces with little loss of carrier mobility. The subsequent Se dopants introduce multiple phonon scattering sources and significantly suppress the lattice thermal conductivity while maintaining a decent power factor. Consequently, a high peak ZT of 1.53 at 350 K and a remarkable average ZT of 1.31 (300-500 K) are attained in the Bi0.4 Sb1.6 Te0.95 Se0.05  + 0.10 wt% Ag8 GeTe6 sample. Most noteworthily, the size and mass of the optimal sample are enlarged to Ø40 mm-200 g and the constructed 17-couple TE module exhibits an extraordinary conversion efficiency of 6.3% at ΔT = 245 K. This work demonstrates a facile method to develop high-performance and industrial-grade (Bi,Sb)2 Te3 -based alloys, which paves a strong way for further practical applications.