Issue 1, 2017

Skutterudite with graphene-modified grain-boundary complexion enhances zT enabling high-efficiency thermoelectric device

Abstract

Skutterudite materials are widely considered for thermoelectric waste heat recovery. While the skutterudite structure effectively scatters the high frequency phonons, grain-boundary engineering is needed to further reduce the thermal conductivity beyond simply decreasing grain size. Here, we show that reduced graphene oxide (rGO) increases the grain boundary thermal resistivity by a factor of 3 to 5 compared to grain boundaries without graphene. Wrapping even micron sized grains with graphene leads to such a significant reduction in the thermal conductivity that a high thermoelectric figure of merit zT = 1.5 was realized in n-type YbyCo4Sb12, while a zT of 1.06 was achieved in p-type CeyFe3CoSb12. A 16 leg thermoelectric module was made by using n- and p-type skutterudite–graphene nanocomposites that exhibited conversion efficiency 24% higher than a module made without graphene. Engineering grain boundary complexions with 2-D materials introduces a new strategy for advanced thermoelectric materials.

Graphical abstract: Skutterudite with graphene-modified grain-boundary complexion enhances zT enabling high-efficiency thermoelectric device

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
24 Aug. 2016
Accepted
17 Okt. 2016
First published
04 Nov. 2016

Energy Environ. Sci., 2017,10, 183-191

Skutterudite with graphene-modified grain-boundary complexion enhances zT enabling high-efficiency thermoelectric device

P. Zong, R. Hanus, M. Dylla, Y. Tang, J. Liao, Q. Zhang, G. J. Snyder and L. Chen, Energy Environ. Sci., 2017, 10, 183 DOI: 10.1039/C6EE02467J

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements