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Ag-Segregation to Dislocations in PbTe-Based Thermoelectric Materials
Yuan Yu1,2, Siyuan Zhang3, Antonio Massimiliano Mio1
1I. Physikalisches Institut (IA), RWTH Aachen , 52074, Aachen, Germany.
ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces
|January 9, 2018
Summary
Silver atoms segregate to dislocations in thermoelectric lead telluride, enhancing phonon scattering and improving thermoelectric performance. This defect engineering approach offers new avenues for optimizing thermoelectric materials.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Solid-State Physics
- Nanotechnology
Background:
- Dislocations are known to scatter mid-frequency phonons, enhancing thermoelectric performance.
- The chemical composition and decoration of dislocations remain poorly understood.
- Understanding dislocation behavior is crucial for optimizing thermoelectric materials.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the local structure and chemical composition of dislocations in Ag-doped PbTe.
- To correlate dislocation characteristics with phonon scattering and thermoelectric performance.
- To bridge the knowledge gap in dislocation composition for theoretical calculations.
Main Methods:
- Correlating transmission Kikuchi diffraction (TKD) and (scanning) transmission electron microscopy ((S)TEM).
- Utilizing atom probe tomography (APT) for detailed chemical analysis.
- Employing laser flash analysis (LFA) for thermal conductivity evaluation.
Main Results:
- Silver (Ag) atoms were found to segregate to dislocations, showing a 10-fold excess compared to the matrix.
- Ag concentration along dislocation lines fluctuated significantly (0.8-10 atom %) with a ~5 nm periodicity.
- Ag-decorated dislocations exhibited enhanced phonon scattering, confirmed by LFA and Debye-Callaway model calculations.
Conclusions:
- Ag segregation to dislocations significantly impacts phonon scattering in thermoelectric PbTe.
- The findings provide crucial data on dislocation composition for theoretical modeling.
- This study highlights the potential of defect engineering for advancing thermoelectric materials.
Keywords:
Ag segregationatom probe tomographycorrelative microscopydislocationlead-telluride compoundthermoelectric materialMore Related Videos
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