Rational design of p-type thermoelectric PbTe: temperature dependent sodium solubility
Abstract
We develop a solid understanding of the temperature-dependent solubility of sodium in p-type PbTe, the most efficient thermoelectric material. The maximum solubility of sodium telluride (NaTe) in PbTe is measured to be 1.4 ± 0.3 at% and the heat of solution is evaluated as 26+19−11 kJ mol−1 that addresses fundamental issues regarding the formation of nano-precipitates.