Wu Yasong, Zhou Binjie, Liu Lu, Dai Shengnan, Song Lirong, Yang Jiong
Materials Genome Institute, Shanghai Engineering Research Center for Integrated Circuits and Advanced Display Materials, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444, China.
Research (Wash D C). 2025 Jun 10;8:0727. doi: 10.34133/research.0727. eCollection 2025.
Thermoelectric (TE) materials have garnered widespread research interest owing to their capability for direct heat-to-electricity conversion. Binary indium-based chalcogenides (In-X, X = Te, Se, S) stand out in inorganic materials by virtue of their relatively low thermal conductivity. For example, InSe shows a low thermal conductivity of 0.74 W m K and an impressive value of 1.48 along the - plane at 705 K, as a result of structural anisotropy. Here, we review the structural features and recent research progress in the TE field for In-X materials. It begins by presenting the characteristics of crystal structure, electronic band structure, and phonon dispersion, aiming to microscopically understand the similarity/dissimilarity among these In-X compounds, notably the role of unconventional bonds (such as In-In) in modulating the band structures and lattice vibrations. Furthermore, TE optimization strategies of such materials were classified and discussed, including defect engineering, crystal orientation engineering, nanostructuring, and grain size engineering. The final section provides an overview of recent progress in optimizing TE properties of indium tellurides, indium selenides, and indium sulfides. An outlook is also presented on the major challenges and opportunities associated with these material systems for future TE applications. This Review is expected to provide critical insights into the development of new strategies to design binary indium-based chalcogenides as promising TE materials in the future.
热电（TE）材料因其具有直接将热转化为电的能力而受到广泛的研究关注。二元铟基硫族化合物（In-X，X = Te、Se、S）凭借其相对较低的热导率在无机材料中脱颖而出。例如，由于结构各向异性，InSe在705 K时沿c平面显示出0.74 W m⁻¹ K⁻¹的低热导率和1.48的令人印象深刻的优值。在此，我们综述了In-X材料在TE领域的结构特征和近期研究进展。首先介绍了晶体结构、电子能带结构和声子色散的特点，旨在从微观上理解这些In-X化合物之间的异同，特别是非常规键（如In-In键）在调节能带结构和晶格振动中的作用。此外，对这类材料的TE优化策略进行了分类和讨论，包括缺陷工程、晶体取向工程、纳米结构化和晶粒尺寸工程。最后一部分概述了碲化铟、硒化铟和硫化铟在优化TE性能方面的近期进展。还展望了这些材料体系在未来TE应用中面临的主要挑战和机遇。本综述有望为设计二元铟基硫族化合物作为未来有前景的TE材料的新策略的发展提供关键见解。
