https://doi.org/10.1140/epjb/s10051-024-00716-1
Regular Article - Solid State and Materials
Rare earth element Pr enables high thermoelectric performance of Cu12Sb4S13
1
School of Physics and New Energy, Xuzhou University of Technology, 221018, Xuzhou, China
2
Key Laboratory of Materials Physics, Institute of Solid State Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 230031, Hefei, People’s Republic of China
3
University of Science and Technology of China, 230026, Hefei, China
a
zhuchen@xzit.edu.cn
h
flchong2008@163.com
Received:
2
February
2024
Accepted:
29
May
2024
Published online:
21
June
2024
Cu12Sb4S13 has received great attention due to its remarkable thermoelectric properties among medium-temperature range. Herein, the effect of rare earth element Pr substitution at Cu site of Cu12Sb4S13 is comprehensively investigated. Heavy rare earth element Pr substitution can induce strong mass fluctuation and strain-field fluctuation, resulting in intense phonon scattering and decreased lattice thermal conductivity. Consequently, a low lattice thermal conductivity κL of 0.42 W m−1 K−1 is obtained at 748 K in Cu11.7Pr0.3Sb4S13 sample. Additionally, the substitution of Pr for Cu can function as donors, tuning the hole concentration and optimizing the thermopower over the entire temperature range, with a maximum thermopower of 165 μV K−1 at 748 K. Correspondingly, a peak ZT of~0.9 is obtained at 748 K in Cu11.7Pr0.3Sb4S13 sample, due to the significantly reduced thermal conductivity and slightly enhanced power factor.
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© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to EDP Sciences, SIF and Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2024. Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.
