Influence of Sn-substitution on the thermoelectric properties of the clathrate type-I, Ba8ZnxGe46−x−ySny†
Abstract
A systematic investigation is presented on the influence of Sn-substitution in the clathrate-I compound Ba8ZnxGe46−x−ySny, particularly for the crystal structure and thermoelectric properties including electrical resistivity, Seebeck coefficient, and thermal conductivity. Two series of samples were prepared to explore the changes for different Sn-contents, (y), and to define the optimum Zn-content, (x), for Ba8ZnxGe46−x−ySny. Sn-incorporation leads to a linear expansion of the unit cell parameters. Sn-atoms occupy the 6d and 24k positions of the