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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Oct 19, 2025

Author Spotlight: Advancing Energy Solutions Using Nanocomposites as Processed Thermoelectric Materials

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Published on: May 17, 2024

Defect Engineering in Solution-Processed Polycrystalline SnSe Leads to High Thermoelectric Performance.

Yu Liu¹, Mariano Calcabrini¹, Yuan Yu²

¹IST Austria, Am Campus 1, 3400 Klosterneuburg, Austria.

|September 22, 2021

Summary

Polycrystalline tin selenide (SnSe) thermoelectric materials were enhanced using cadmium selenide (CdSe) nanoparticles. This approach significantly improved thermoelectric performance by controlling grain growth and reducing thermal conductivity.

Keywords:

Zener pinning annealing grain growth nanocomposite solution processing thermoelectricity tin selenide

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Published on: August 30, 2024

Area of Science:

Materials Science
Solid State Physics
Nanotechnology

Background:

Tin selenide (SnSe) is a promising thermoelectric material due to its low cost and high performance in single-crystal form.
Achieving comparable performance in polycrystalline SnSe is crucial for economic viability.
Current methods often struggle to bridge the performance gap between single-crystal and polycrystalline SnSe.

Purpose of the Study:

To optimize the thermoelectric performance of polycrystalline SnSe.
To develop a method for enhancing SnSe thermoelectric properties using solution-processed and surface-engineered particles.
To investigate the role of CdSe nanoparticles in controlling microstructure and improving thermoelectric figure of merit.

Main Methods:

Solution-processed SnSe particles were surface-engineered with CdSe molecular complexes.
Consolidation via sintering led to the crystallization of CdSe nanoparticles within the SnSe matrix.
Zener pinning by CdSe nanoparticles was utilized to inhibit SnSe grain growth.
Microstructural analysis focused on grain boundaries and defect density.

Main Results:

The incorporation of CdSe nanoparticles effectively inhibited SnSe grain growth, creating a high density of grain boundaries.
The SnSe-CdSe nanocomposites exhibited a significant reduction in thermal conductivity due to numerous defects at various length scales.
A peak thermoelectric figure of merit (ZT) of 2.2 at 786 K was achieved for the SnSe-CdSe nanocomposites.
This performance is among the highest reported for solution-processed SnSe.

Conclusions:

Surface engineering of SnSe particles with CdSe is an effective strategy to enhance thermoelectric performance.
The formation of SnSe-CdSe nanocomposites with controlled microstructure leads to superior thermoelectric properties.
This work demonstrates a viable pathway for realizing high-performance polycrystalline SnSe thermoelectric materials for energy conversion applications.