Thermoelectric Properties of Half-Heusler Bismuthides ZrCo<Subscript>1−<Emphasis Type="Italic">x</Emphasis></Subscript>Ni<Subscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">x</Emphasis></Subscript>Bi (<Emphasis Type="Italic">x</Emphasis> = 0.0 to 0.1)

The usefulness of half-Heusler (HH) alloys as thermoelectrics has been mainly limited by their relatively large thermal conductivity, which is a key issue despite their high thermoelectric power factors. In this regard, Bi-containing half-Heusler alloys are particularly appealing, because they are, potentially, of low thermal conductivity. One such a material is ZrCoBi. We prepared pure and Ni-doped ZrCoBi by a solid-state reaction. To evaluate thermoelectric potential we measured electrical resistivity (ρ = 1/σ) and thermopower (σ) up to 1000 K and thermal conductivity (κ) up to 300 K. Our measurements indicate that for these alloys resistivity of approximately a few mΩ cm and thermopower larger than a hundred μV K⁻¹ are possible. Low κ values are also possible. On the basis of these data we conclude that this system has a potential to be optimized further, despite the low power factors (α ² σT) we have currently measured.     

Yb和Ni共掺杂对α-MgAgSb室温热电材料的性能调控研究

单一Yb元素掺杂能有效提升α-MgAgSb室温热电材料的热电性能,但Yb元素在α-MgAgSb中较小的固溶度严重限制性能的进一步提升。本文采用Yb和Ni共掺杂来适当增加Yb掺杂元素的固溶度,提高α-MgAgSb的热电性能。结果表明,Yb和Ni原子质量和大小差异均会引起声子散射,极大地降低了α-MgAgSb的热导率,而且Yb和Ni共掺杂能延后双极效应。通过Yb和Ni共掺杂,α-MgAgSb的热电优值峰值达到1.05。     

新型电池正极材料失效机制的透射电子显微学研究

透射电镜作为当代最常用的材料表征手段之一,有着高的分辨率,可以较清晰地在原子尺度表征材料的微观结构与化学成分,在许多学科中发挥着关键作用.新型电池作为高效、清洁的储存装置,给现代生活带来了许多便利,拥有极大的科研与商用价值.而作为电池重要部件的正极材料,是否能高效、安全地工作,时刻影响着新型电池的商业化前景.本文综述了...     

Characterization of the thermal conductivity of insulating thin films by scanning thermal microscopy

This paper reports on the abilities of a Scanning Thermal Microscopy (SThM) method to characterize the thermal conductivity of insulating materials and thin films used in microelectronics and microsystems. It gives a review of the previous works on the subject and gives new results allowing showing the performance of a new method proposed for reducing the thermal conductivity of meso-porous silicon by swift heavy ion irradiation. Meso-porous silicon samples were prepared by anodisation of silicon wafers and underwent irradiation by 845 MeV ²⁰⁸Pb ions, with fluences of 4×10¹¹ and 7×10¹¹ cm⁻². Thermal measurements show that irradiation reduced thermal conductivity by a factor of up to 2.     

Thermoelectric Properties of Co<Subscript>4</Subscript>Sb<Subscript>12</Subscript> Skutterudite Materials with Partial In Filling and Excess In Additions

The properties of Co₄Sb₁₂ with various In additions were studied. X-ray diffraction revealed the presence of the pure δ-phase of In_0.16Co₄Sb₁₂, whereas impurity phases (γ-CoSb₂ and InSb) appeared for x = 0.25, 0.40, 0.80, and 1.20. The homogeneity and morphology of the samples were observed by Seebeck microprobe and scanning electron microscopy, respectively. All the quenched ingots from which the studied samples were cut were inhomogeneous in the axial direction. The temperature dependence of the Seebeck coefficient (S), electrical conductivity (σ), and thermal conductivity (κ) was measured from room temperature up to 673 K. The Seebeck coefficient of all In-added Co₄Sb₁₂ materials was negative. When the filler concentration increases, the Seebeck coefficient decreases. The samples with In additions above the filling limit (x = 0.22) show an even lower Seebeck coefficient due to the formation of secondary phases: InSb and CoSb₂. The temperature variation of the electrical conductivity is semiconductor-like. The thermal conductivity of all the samples decreases with temperature. The central region of the In_0.4Co₄Sb₁₂ ingot shows the lowest thermal conductivity, probably due to the combined effect of (a) rattling due to maximum filling and (b) the presence of a small amount of fine-dispersed secondary phases at the grain boundaries. Thus, regardless of the non-single-phase morphology, a promising ZT (S ² σT/κ) value of 0.96 at 673 K has been obtained with an In addition above the filling limit.     

Thermal Conductivity and Dimensionless Figure of Merit of Thermoelectric Rhodium Oxides Measured by a Modified Harman Method

We have developed a modified Harman method to extract the thermoelectric signal using a squared AC current in the presence of Joule heating, and have measured the thermal conductivity and dimensionless figure of merit of single crystals of the layered rhodium oxide Bi_0.78Sr_0.4RhO_3+d and the pseudo-one-dimensional rhodium oxide Ba_1.2Rh₈O₁₆. We find that these rhodium oxides exhibit a small thermal conductivity of 30 mW/cm K at 200 K and rather large ZT of 0.02 below 200 K. We believe that this method will be a powerful tool for thermal conductivity measurements in sub-millimeter-sized crystals.