Synergistic Manipulation of Interdependent Thermoelectric Parameters in SnTe-AgBiTe Alloys by Mn Doping.

In the mid-temperature region, SnTe is a promising substitute for PbTe, whereas the thermoelectric (TE) property of pristine SnTe is severely limited by the good thermal conductivity and inferior Seebeck coefficient. In this research, we synergistically manipulate the interdependent TE parameters of SnTe-AgBiTe alloys by Mn doping to increase the value. The AgBiTe alloying is found to greatly reduce the electrical conductivity and electronic contribution for thermal transport by reducing the carrier mobility, while Mn doping obviously improves the Seebeck coefficient by effectively decreasing the valence band offset. The lowest κ of Mn-doped SnTe-AgBiTe alloys is 0.49 W m K at 823 K since the various defects strengthen the phonon scattering. Collectively, these manipulations yield a peak value of 1.40 at 823 K and an average value of 0.73 (300-823 K) in the Mn-doped SnTe-AgBiTe alloys. This research suggests that Mn doping is a valid scheme to constantly improve the thermoelectric property of SnTe-AgBiTe alloys in a wide temperature range.