Unveiling the Intrinsic Low Thermal Conductivity of BiAgSeS through Entropy Engineering in SHS Kinetic Process

doi:10.15541/jim20200698

Abstract

Abstract:

It is of great significance to find the ultra-rapid preparation technology of materials and realize the optimization of electroacoustic transport properties in the research of thermoelectric materials. In this study, BiAgSeS compounds were successfully prepared by self-propagating high temperature synthesis (SHS), of which the kinetic process was systematically studied. It is found that the melting of Bi is the key to activate and initiate SHS reaction. In addition, the high concentrations of nano- and atomic-scale strain field regions, and screw dislocations produced in the non-equilibrium SHS process provide an everlasting step source for material growth and make the grains possess the layered structure. In the process of material densification, the step source continues to play a role in dominating grain growth, and thus leaving nanopores at the grain boundary. Because of these defects, compared with samples via melting-quenching (MQ) combined with plasma activated sintering (PAS), the SHS+PAS samples can slightly increase the electrical conductivity and significantly reduce the lattice thermal conductivity by ~6%. Finally, the thermoelectric properties are optimized, and the ZT is improved in the whole temperature range with the maximum value of 0.5 obtained at 773 K.

Key words: thermoelectric, BiAgSeS, entropy engineering, self-propagating high-temperature synthesis, lone pair electron

CLC Number:

TQ174

YANG Dongwang, LUO Tingting, SU Xianli, WU Jinsong, TANG Xinfeng. Unveiling the Intrinsic Low Thermal Conductivity of BiAgSeS through Entropy Engineering in SHS Kinetic Process[J]. Journal of Inorganic Materials, 2021, 36(9): 991-998.

Figures/Tables 11

References 27

[1]	ROWE D M, CRC Handbook of Thermoelectrics. Boca Raton: CRC Press, 1995.
[2]	HE J, KANATZIDIS M G, DRAVID V P. High performance bulk thermoelectrics via a panoscopic approach. Materials Today, 2013, 16(5):166-176. DOI URL
[3]	SNYDER G J, TOBERER E S. Complex thermoelectric materials. Nature Materials, 2008, 7:105-114. DOI URL
[4]	ZHAO L D, LO S H, ZHANG Y, et al. Ultralow thermal conductivity and high thermoelectric figure of merit in SnSe crystals. Nature, 2014, 508(7496):373-377. DOI URL
[5]	SHI X, YANG J, SALVADOR J R, et al. Multiple-filled skutterudites: high thermoelectric figure of merit through separately optimizing electrical and thermal transports. Journal of the American Chemical Society, 2011, 133(20):7837-7846. DOI URL
[6]	ZHAO W, LIU Z, SUN Z, et al. Superparamagnetic enhancement of thermoelectric performance. Nature, 2017, 549(7671):247-251. DOI URL
[7]	LIU R, CHEN H, ZHAO K, et al. Entropy as a gene-like performance indicator promoting thermoelectric materials. Advanced Materials, 2017, 29(38):1702712. DOI URL
[8]	HU L, ZHANG Y, WU H, et al. Entropy engineering of SnTe: multi-principal-element alloying leading to ultralow lattice thermal conductivity and state-of-the-art thermoelectric performance. Advanced Energy Materials, 2018, 8(29):1802116. DOI URL
[9]	QIU Y, JIN Y, WANG D, et al. Realizing high thermoelectric performance in GeTe through decreasing the phase transition temperature via entropy engineering. Journal of Materials Chemistry A, 2019, 7(46):26393-26401. DOI URL
[10]	YEH J W, CHEN S K, LIN S J, et al. Nanostructured high-entropy alloys with multiple principal elements: novel alloy design concepts and outcomes. Advanced Engineering Materials, 2004, 6(5):299-303. DOI URL
[11]	SENKOV O N, MILLER J D, MIRACLE D B, et al. Accelerated exploration of multi-principal element alloys with solid solution phases. Nature Communications, 2015, 6:1-10.
[12]	ZHANG Y, ZUO T T, TANG Z, et al. Microstructures and properties of high-entropy alloys. Progress in Materials Science, 2014, 61:1-93. DOI URL
[13]	PEI Y, SHI X, LALONDE A, et al. Convergence of electronic bands for high performance bulk thermoelectrics. Nature, 2011, 473(7345):66-69. DOI URL
[14]	PEI Y, LALONDE A, IWANAGA S, et al. High thermoelectric figure of merit in heavy hole dominated PbTe. Energy & Environmental Science, 2011, 4(6):2085-2089.
[15]	HEREMANS J P, JOVOVIC V, TOBERER E S, et al. Enhancement of thermoelectric efficiency in PbTe by distortion of the electronic density of states. Science, 2008, 321(5888):554-557. DOI URL
[16]	GUIN S N, CHATTERJEE A, NEGI D S, et al. High thermoelectric performance in tellurium free p-type AgSbSe₂. Energy & Environmental Science, 2013, 6(9):2603-2608.
[17]	PAN L, BÉRARDAN D, DRAGOE N. High thermoelectric properties of n-type AgBiSe₂. Journal of the American Chemical Society, 2013, 135(13):4914-4917. DOI URL
[18]	PARKER D S, MAY A F, SINGH D J. Benefits of carrier-pocket anisotropy to thermoelectric performance: the case of p-type AgBiSe₂. Physical Review Applied, 2015, 3(6):064003. DOI URL
[19]	GUIN S N, BISWAS K. Cation disorder and bond anharmonicity optimize the thermoelectric properties in kinetically stabilized rocksalt AgBiS₂ nanocrystals. Chemistry of Materials, 2013, 25(15):3225-3231. DOI URL
[20]	CHAMBERLAIN A L, FAHRENHOLTZ W G, HILMAS G E. Pressureless sintering of zirconium diboride. Journal of the American Ceramic Society, 2006, 89(2):450-456. DOI URL
[21]	PEI Y L, WU H, SUI J, et al. High thermoelectric performance in n-type BiAgSeS due to intrinsically low thermal conductivity. Energy & Environmental Science, 2013, 6(6):1750-1755.
[22]	SU X, FU F, YAN Y, et al. Self-propagating high-temperature synthesis for compound thermoelectrics and new criterion for combustion processing. Nature Communication, 2014, 5(1):4908-4914. DOI URL
[23]	HU T, YANG D, SU X, et al. Interpreting the combustion process for high-performance ZrNiSn thermoelectric materials. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 2017, 10:864-872.
[24]	YANG D, SU X, YAN Y, et al. Manipulating the combustion wave during self-propagating synthesis for high thermoelectric performance of layered oxychalcogenide Bi₁-_xPb_xCuSeO. Chemistry of Materials, 2016, 28:4628-4640. DOI URL
[25]	YANG D, SU X, MENG F, et al. Facile room temperature solventless synthesis of high thermoelectric performance Ag₂Se via a dissociative adsorption reaction. Journal of Materials Chemistry A, 2017, 5:23243-23251. DOI URL
[26]	MERZHANOV A G. SHS processes: combustion theory and practice. Arch. Combustionis, 1981, 1:4.
[27]	XIAO C, QIN X, ZHANG J, et al. High thermoelectric and reversible p-n-p conduction type switching integrated in dimetal chalcogenide. Journal of the American Chemical Society, 2012, 134(44):18460-18466. DOI URL