Ying Pan, Jian Qingyang, Gong Yaru, Song Tong, Yang Yuxuan, Geng Yang, Huang Junquan, Sun Rongxin, Chen Chen, Shen Tao, Li Yanan, Dou Wei, Liang Congmin, Liu Yuqi, Xiang Deshang, Feng Tao, Fei Xiaoyu, Zhang Yongsheng, Song Kun, Zhang Yang, Wu Haijun, Tang Guodong
School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing, 210094, China.
State Key Laboratory for Mechanical Behavior of Materials, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China.
Nat Commun. 2025 Apr 7;16(1):3305. doi: 10.1038/s41467-025-58484-0.
Thermoelectric technology exhibits significant potential for power generation and electronic cooling. In this study, we report the achievement of exceptional thermoelectric performance and high plasticity in stable CuSe/SnSe composites. A novel matrix plainification strategy was employed to eliminate lattice vacancies within the CuSe matrix of the CuSe/SnSe composites, resulting in a marked improvement in carrier mobility and power factor. The presence of quasi-coherent interfaces induces phonon scattering, reducing lattice thermal conductivity without compromising carrier mobility. Consequently, a high figure of merit (ZT) of 3.3 was attained in the CuSe/5 wt.% SnPbZnSe composite. Additionally, the presence of high-density nanotwins imparts remarkable plasticity to the composite, yielding a compressive strain of 12%. The secondary phase contributes to the stability of the composite by hindering the extensive migration of Cu ions through bonding interactions. Our findings present a novel strategy for enhancing the thermoelectric performance of composite semiconductors, with potential applicability to other thermoelectric systems.
热电技术在发电和电子冷却方面具有巨大潜力。在本研究中，我们报告了在稳定的CuSe/SnSe复合材料中实现了优异的热电性能和高可塑性。采用了一种新颖的基体平整化策略来消除CuSe/SnSe复合材料中CuSe基体的晶格空位，从而显著提高了载流子迁移率和功率因数。准相干界面的存在引起声子散射，在不影响载流子迁移率的情况下降低了晶格热导率。因此，在CuSe/5 wt.% SnPbZnSe复合材料中获得了3.3的高优值（ZT）。此外，高密度纳米孪晶的存在赋予了复合材料显著的可塑性，产生了12%的压缩应变。第二相通过键合相互作用阻碍Cu离子的广泛迁移，有助于复合材料的稳定性。我们的研究结果提出了一种提高复合半导体热电性能的新策略，具有应用于其他热电系统的潜力。
