Super high-performance 7-atomic-layer thermoelectric material ZrGe2N4

Abstract

7-Atomic-layer materials have attracted much attention recently because of their rich structures and more-abundant properties than 3- and 5-atomic-layer materials. However, the thermoelectric properties of the new monolayer materials have not been explored yet. Here, we investigate the thermoelectric conversion efficiency of a 7-atomic-layer structure ZrGe₂N₄, which is selected from a series of 7-atomic-layer structures according to their stabilities and thermoelectric properties. The results indicate that this material is an excellent candidate for high-performance thermoelectric materials. Its figure of merit ZT value is close to 4.0 at high temperature. The high efficiency originates from two factors: one is the lower thermal conductivity of ZrGe₂N₄ and the other is the decoupling of electron and phonon transport in the 7-atomic-layer structures.