Effective Vacancy Regulation Simultaneously Realizes High-Performance Thermoelectric Cooling and Power Generation in...

Thermoelectric technology, reversibly converting heat into electricity, faces application dilemmas due to high costs and the scarcity of Te. Herein, cost-effective n-type PbSe crystals prepared by physical vapor deposition exhibit potential for power generation and refrigeration. Carrier density and mobility of the PbSe crystals are both increased by lattice plainification via adding trace In and Sb, leading to a significant PF of 40 μW cm^-1 K^-2 at 303 K. The lattice mismatch and enlarged bandgap prominently lower the lattice thermal conductivity. The distinguished ZTs of 0.6 and 1.6 are realized at 303 and 773 K (ZT_ave = 1.14 across 303-773 K), respectively. Furthermore, a 17-pair thermoelectric cooling module is assembled with Pb_1.003In_0.0006Sb_0.0006Se and realizes a cooling temperature difference of 55 K (T_h = 343 K). Meanwhile, a segmented single-leg device is manufactured with Pb_1.003In_0.0012Sb_0.0012Se and Pb_1.003In_0.0006Sb_0.0006Se, achieving an eminent conversion efficiency of 10% with a ΔT of 470 K.