IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/nat/natcom/v15y2024i1d10.1038_s41467-024-47578-w.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Metavalently bonded tellurides: the essence of improved thermoelectric performance in elemental Te

Author

Listed:
  • Decheng An

    (Taiyuan University of Technology)

  • Senhao Zhang

    (RWTH Aachen University)

  • Xin Zhai

    (Southeast University)

  • Wutao Yang

    (Taiyuan University of Technology)

  • Riga Wu

    (RWTH Aachen University)

  • Huaide Zhang

    (RWTH Aachen University)

  • Wenhao Fan

    (Taiyuan University of Technology)

  • Wenxian Wang

    (Taiyuan University of Technology)

  • Shaoping Chen

    (Taiyuan University of Technology)

  • Oana Cojocaru-Mirédin

    (Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg)

  • Xian-Ming Zhang

    (Taiyuan University of Technology
    Taiyuan University of Technology)

  • Matthias Wuttig

    (RWTH Aachen University
    Forschungszentrum Jülich)

  • Yuan Yu

    (RWTH Aachen University)

Abstract

Elemental Te is important for semiconductor applications including thermoelectric energy conversion. Introducing dopants such as As, Sb, and Bi has been proven critical for improving its thermoelectric performance. However, the remarkably low solubility of these elements in Te raises questions about the mechanism with which these dopants can improve the thermoelectric properties. Indeed, these dopants overwhelmingly form precipitates rather than dissolve in the Te lattice. To distinguish the role of doping and precipitation on the properties, we have developed a correlative method to locally determine the structure-property relationship for an individual matrix or precipitate. We reveal that the conspicuous enhancement of electrical conductivity and power factor of bulk Te stems from the dopant-induced metavalently bonded telluride precipitates. These precipitates form electrically beneficial interfaces with the Te matrix. A quantum-mechanical-derived map uncovers more candidates for advancing Te thermoelectrics. This unconventional doping scenario adds another recipe to the design options for thermoelectrics and opens interesting pathways for microstructure design.

Suggested Citation

  • Decheng An & Senhao Zhang & Xin Zhai & Wutao Yang & Riga Wu & Huaide Zhang & Wenhao Fan & Wenxian Wang & Shaoping Chen & Oana Cojocaru-Mirédin & Xian-Ming Zhang & Matthias Wuttig & Yuan Yu, 2024. "Metavalently bonded tellurides: the essence of improved thermoelectric performance in elemental Te," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-13, December.
  • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:15:y:2024:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-024-47578-w
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-47578-w
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-024-47578-w
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1038/s41467-024-47578-w?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Bushra Jabar & Fu Li & Zhuanghao Zheng & Adil Mansoor & Yongbin Zhu & Chongbin Liang & Dongwei Ao & Yuexing Chen & Guangxing Liang & Ping Fan & Weishu Liu, 2021. "Homo-composition and hetero-structure nanocomposite Pnma Bi2SeS2 - Pnnm Bi2SeS2 with high thermoelectric performance," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 12(1), pages 1-11, December.
    2. Zhuang-Hao Zheng & Xiao-Lei Shi & Dong-Wei Ao & Wei-Di Liu & Meng Li & Liang-Zhi Kou & Yue-Xing Chen & Fu Li & Meng Wei & Guang-Xing Liang & Ping Fan & Gao Qing (Max) Lu & Zhi-Gang Chen, 2023. "Harvesting waste heat with flexible Bi2Te3 thermoelectric thin film," Nature Sustainability, Nature, vol. 6(2), pages 180-191, February.
    3. Sangyeop Lee & Keivan Esfarjani & Tengfei Luo & Jiawei Zhou & Zhiting Tian & Gang Chen, 2014. "Resonant bonding leads to low lattice thermal conductivity," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 5(1), pages 1-8, May.
    4. Siqi Lin & Wen Li & Zhiwei Chen & Jiawen Shen & Binghui Ge & Yanzhong Pei, 2016. "Tellurium as a high-performance elemental thermoelectric," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 7(1), pages 1-6, April.
    5. Yanzhong Pei & Xiaoya Shi & Aaron LaLonde & Heng Wang & Lidong Chen & G. Jeffrey Snyder, 2011. "Convergence of electronic bands for high performance bulk thermoelectrics," Nature, Nature, vol. 473(7345), pages 66-69, May.
    6. Riga Wu & Yuan Yu & Shuo Jia & Chongjian Zhou & Oana Cojocaru-Mirédin & Matthias Wuttig, 2023. "Strong charge carrier scattering at grain boundaries of PbTe caused by the collapse of metavalent bonding," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-8, December.
    7. Binbin Jiang & Yong Yu & Hongyi Chen & Juan Cui & Xixi Liu & Lin Xie & Jiaqing He, 2021. "Entropy engineering promotes thermoelectric performance in p-type chalcogenides," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 12(1), pages 1-8, December.
    8. Kanishka Biswas & Jiaqing He & Ivan D. Blum & Chun-I Wu & Timothy P. Hogan & David N. Seidman & Vinayak P. Dravid & Mercouri G. Kanatzidis, 2012. "High-performance bulk thermoelectrics with all-scale hierarchical architectures," Nature, Nature, vol. 489(7416), pages 414-418, September.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Ming Liu & Muchun Guo & Haiyan Lyu & Yingda Lai & Yuke Zhu & Fengkai Guo & Yueyang Yang & Kuai Yu & Xingyan Dong & Zihang Liu & Wei Cai & Matthias Wuttig & Yuan Yu & Jiehe Sui, 2024. "Doping strategy in metavalently bonded materials for advancing thermoelectric performance," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-10, December.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Yingcai Zhu & Dongyang Wang & Tao Hong & Lei Hu & Toshiaki Ina & Shaoping Zhan & Bingchao Qin & Haonan Shi & Lizhong Su & Xiang Gao & Li-Dong Zhao, 2022. "Multiple valence bands convergence and strong phonon scattering lead to high thermoelectric performance in p-type PbSe," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-9, December.
    2. Yihua Zhang & Guyang Peng & Shuankui Li & Haijun Wu & Kaidong Chen & Jiandong Wang & Zhihao Zhao & Tu Lyu & Yuan Yu & Chaohua Zhang & Yang Zhang & Chuansheng Ma & Shengwu Guo & Xiangdong Ding & Jun Su, 2024. "Phase interface engineering enables state-of-the-art half-Heusler thermoelectrics," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-12, December.
    3. Jing-Wei Li & Zhijia Han & Jincheng Yu & Hua-Lu Zhuang & Haihua Hu & Bin Su & Hezhang Li & Yilin Jiang & Lu Chen & Weishu Liu & Qiang Zheng & Jing-Feng Li, 2023. "Wide-temperature-range thermoelectric n-type Mg3(Sb,Bi)2 with high average and peak zT values," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-9, December.
    4. Zihang Liu & Weihong Gao & Hironori Oshima & Kazuo Nagase & Chul-Ho Lee & Takao Mori, 2022. "Maximizing the performance of n-type Mg3Bi2 based materials for room-temperature power generation and thermoelectric cooling," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-9, December.
    5. Yilin Jiang & Jinfeng Dong & Hua-Lu Zhuang & Jincheng Yu & Bin Su & Hezhang Li & Jun Pei & Fu-Hua Sun & Min Zhou & Haihua Hu & Jing-Wei Li & Zhanran Han & Bo-Ping Zhang & Takao Mori & Jing-Feng Li, 2022. "Evolution of defect structures leading to high ZT in GeTe-based thermoelectric materials," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-9, December.
    6. Yong Yu & Xiao Xu & Yan Wang & Baohai Jia & Shan Huang & Xiaobin Qiang & Bin Zhu & Peijian Lin & Binbin Jiang & Shixuan Liu & Xia Qi & Kefan Pan & Di Wu & Haizhou Lu & Michel Bosman & Stephen J. Penny, 2022. "Tunable quantum gaps to decouple carrier and phonon transport leading to high-performance thermoelectrics," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-9, December.
    7. Zhifang Zhou & Yi Huang & Bin Wei & Yueyang Yang & Dehong Yu & Yunpeng Zheng & Dongsheng He & Wenyu Zhang & Mingchu Zou & Jin-Le Lan & Jiaqing He & Ce-Wen Nan & Yuan-Hua Lin, 2023. "Compositing effects for high thermoelectric performance of Cu2Se-based materials," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-9, December.
    8. Song Lv & Zuoqin Qian & Dengyun Hu & Xiaoyuan Li & Wei He, 2020. "A Comprehensive Review of Strategies and Approaches for Enhancing the Performance of Thermoelectric Module," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(12), pages 1-24, June.
    9. Yaru Gong & Wei Dou & Bochen Lu & Xuemei Zhang & He Zhu & Pan Ying & Qingtang Zhang & Yuqi Liu & Yanan Li & Xinqi Huang & Muhammad Faisal Iqbal & Shihua Zhang & Di Li & Yongsheng Zhang & Haijun Wu & G, 2024. "Divacancy and resonance level enables high thermoelectric performance in n-type SnSe polycrystals," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-13, December.
    10. Dianta Ginting & Chan-Chieh Lin & Jong-Soo Rhyee, 2019. "Synergetic Approach for Superior Thermoelectric Performance in PbTe-PbSe-PbS Quaternary Alloys and Composites," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(1), pages 1-29, December.
    11. Eom, Yoomin & Wijethunge, Dimuthu & Park, Hwanjoo & Park, Sang Hyun & Kim, Woochul, 2017. "Flexible thermoelectric power generation system based on rigid inorganic bulk materials," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 206(C), pages 649-656.
    12. Bingchao Qin & Dongyang Wang & Tao Hong & Yuping Wang & Dongrui Liu & Ziyuan Wang & Xiang Gao & Zhen-Hua Ge & Li-Dong Zhao, 2023. "High thermoelectric efficiency realized in SnSe crystals via structural modulation," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-10, December.
    13. Nie, Xianhua & Xue, Juan & Zhao, Li & Deng, Shuai & Xiong, Hanping, 2024. "New insight of thermodynamic cycle in thermoelectric power generation analyses: Literature review and perspectives," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 292(C).
    14. Ni, Dan & Song, Haijun & Chen, Yuanxun & Cai, Kefeng, 2019. "Free-standing highly conducting PEDOT films for flexible thermoelectric generator," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 170(C), pages 53-61.
    15. Ming Liu & Muchun Guo & Haiyan Lyu & Yingda Lai & Yuke Zhu & Fengkai Guo & Yueyang Yang & Kuai Yu & Xingyan Dong & Zihang Liu & Wei Cai & Matthias Wuttig & Yuan Yu & Jiehe Sui, 2024. "Doping strategy in metavalently bonded materials for advancing thermoelectric performance," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-10, December.
    16. Hangtian Zhu & Wenjie Li & Amin Nozariasbmarz & Na Liu & Yu Zhang & Shashank Priya & Bed Poudel, 2023. "Half-Heusler alloys as emerging high power density thermoelectric cooling materials," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-8, December.
    17. Feng, Mengqi & Lv, Song & Deng, Jingcai & Guo, Ying & Wu, Yangyang & Shi, Guoqing & Zhang, Mingming, 2023. "An overview of environmental energy harvesting by thermoelectric generators," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 187(C).
    18. Pascal Boulet & Marie-Christine Record, 2020. "Theoretical Investigations of the BaRh 2 Ge 4 X 6 (X = S, Se, Te) Compounds," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(23), pages 1-21, December.
    19. Romo-De-La-Cruz, Cesar-Octavio & Chen, Yun & Liang, Liang & Paredes-Navia, Sergio A. & Wong-Ng, Winnie K. & Song, Xueyan, 2023. "Entering new era of thermoelectric oxide ceramics with high power factor through designing grain boundaries," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 175(C).
    20. Zhi Li & Wenhao Li & Zhen Chen, 2017. "Performance Analysis of Thermoelectric Based Automotive Waste Heat Recovery System with Nanofluid Coolant," Energies, MDPI, vol. 10(10), pages 1-15, September.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:15:y:2024:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-024-47578-w. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.nature.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.