Half-Heusler alloys as emerging high power density thermoelectric cooling materials.

ABSTRACT: To achieve optimal thermoelectric performance, it is crucial to manipulate the scattering processes within materials to decouple the transport of phonons and electrons. In half-Heusler (hH) compounds, selective defect reduction can significantly improve performance due to the weak electron-acoustic phonon interaction. This study utilized Sb-pressure controlled annealing process to modulate the microstructure and point defects of Nb_0.55Ta_0.40Ti_0.05FeSb compound, resulting in a 100% increase in carrier mobility and a maximum power factor of 78 µW cm^-1 K^-2, approaching the theoretical prediction for NbFeSb single crystal. This approach yielded the highest average zT of ~0.86 among hH in the temperature range of 300-873 K. The use of this material led to a 210% enhancement in cooling power density compared to Bi₂Te₃-based devices and a conversion efficiency of 12%. These results demonstrate a promising strategy for optimizing hH materials for near-room-temperature thermoelectric applications.

SUBMITTER: Zhu H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10244423 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature