Issue 47, 2015

Colloidal synthesis of Cu2−xAgxCdSnSe4 nanocrystals: microstructures facilitate high performance thermoelectricity

Abstract

In this study, we report the colloidal synthesis (CS) of quaternary chalcogenide Cu2−xAgxCdSnSe4 nanocrystals (x = 0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, and 0.4) and their application in thermoelectrics. The as-prepared Cu2−xAgxCdSnSe4 nanocrystals present a narrow size distribution ranging from 30 to 50 nm and a precisely controlled composition. Additionally, it was observed that the disordered zinc blende phases were embedded in the normal zinc blende phases and amorphous nanoparticles were dispersed on grain surfaces and between grain boundaries of spark plasma sintered bulk Cu2−xAgxCdSnSe4. Moreover, a large enhancement in the Seebeck coefficient and a dramatically reduced lattice thermal conductivity was found in Cu2−xAgxCdSnSe4 solid solution, resulting in the dimensionless thermoelectric figure of merit reaching a peak value of 0.8 at 688 K when x = 0.3. This represents a 44% and 83% improvement in comparison to the undoped sample and the sample made via the solid state method (SS), respectively. The results demonstrate an exciting scientific opportunity to raise the figure-of-merit of quaternary chalcogenide Cu2CdSnSe4 prepared by colloidal synthesis via optimized solid solution.

Graphical abstract: Colloidal synthesis of Cu2−xAgxCdSnSe4 nanocrystals: microstructures facilitate high performance thermoelectricity

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
16 sep 2015
Accepted
05 nov 2015
First published
06 nov 2015

J. Mater. Chem. C, 2015,3, 12273-12280

Author version available

Colloidal synthesis of Cu2−xAgxCdSnSe4 nanocrystals: microstructures facilitate high performance thermoelectricity

Q. Chen, G. Wang, A. Zhang, D. Yang, W. Yao, K. Peng, Y. Yan, X. Sun, A. Liu, G. Wang and X. Zhou, J. Mater. Chem. C, 2015, 3, 12273 DOI: 10.1039/C5TC02948A

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