Issue 23, 2024

A low-temperature thermoelectric transport study of non-stoichiometric AgSbTe2

Abstract

In recent times, considerable attention has been given to examining the impact of micro/nanostructure on the thermoelectric characteristics of nonstoichiometric AgSbTe2. The present investigation employed direct melting of elements that produced p-type AgSbTe2 with spontaneous nanostructuring due to cation ordering. The product predominantly features an Ag-deficient Ag0.927Sb1.07Te2.005 phase with monoclinic Ag2Te nanoprecipitates and exhibits a degenerate semiconductor-like behavior with an energy band gap of 0.15 eV. A Seebeck coefficient of 251 μV K−1 and a power factor of 741 μW m−1 K−2 at near ambient temperature are attained with this composition. The variable range hopping (VRH) and linear magnetoresistance (LMR) confirmed that the low-temperature transport followed a VRH between the localized states. The composition also exhibited glass like thermal conductivity of 0.2 W m−1 K−1 arising from phonon scattering at all-scale hierarchical structures that led to a high ZT of 1.1 at room temperature. The direct melted ingots show a high relative density of ∼97%, Vickers hardness Hv of ∼108.5 kgf mm−2, and excellent thermal stability, making them an attractive choice for TEGs.

Graphical abstract: A low-temperature thermoelectric transport study of non-stoichiometric AgSbTe2

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
20 Mar 2024
Accepted
11 May 2024
First published
15 May 2024

Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2024,26, 16625-16636

A low-temperature thermoelectric transport study of non-stoichiometric AgSbTe2

C. V. Devan, M. M. Kurian, S. P. N., M. R. Varma and B. Deb, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2024, 26, 16625 DOI: 10.1039/D4CP01171F

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