Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-8ctnn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-01-03T21:39:33.147Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Nanostructures and defects in nonequilibrium-synthesized filled skutterudite CeFe4Sb12

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 April 2011

Juan Zhou ,
Qing Jie ,
Lijun Wu ,
Ivo Dimitrov ,
Qiang Li  and
Xun Shi
Juan Zhou
Affiliation:
Condensed Matter Physics and Materials Science Department, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York 11973
Qing Jie
Affiliation:
Condensed Matter Physics and Materials Science Department, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York 11973
Lijun Wu
Affiliation:
Condensed Matter Physics and Materials Science Department, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York 11973
Ivo Dimitrov
Affiliation:
Condensed Matter Physics and Materials Science Department, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York 11973
Qiang Li*
Affiliation:
Condensed Matter Physics and Materials Science Department, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York 11973
Xun Shi
Affiliation:
CAS Key Laboratory of Materials for Energy Conversion, Shanghai Institute of Ceramics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200050, China
*
a)Address all correspondence to this author. e-mail: qiangli@bnl.gov
Get access

Abstract

We studied nanoprecipitates (NPs) and defects in p-type filled skutterudite CeFe4Sb12 prepared by a nonequilibrium melt spinning plus spark plasma sintering method using transmission electron microscopy. NPs with mostly spherical shapes and different sizes (from several nanometers to several tens of nanometers) have been observed. Among these, two types of NPs were most commonly observed, Sb-rich superlattices and CeSb2. The Sb-rich superlattices with a periodicity of about 3.6 nm were induced by the ordering of excessive Sb atoms along the c-direction. These NPs typically share coherent interfaces with the surrounding matrix and induce anisotropic strain fields in the matrix. NPs with compositions close to CeSb2, on the other hand, have been shown to be much larger in size (∼30 nm) and have orthorhombic structures. Various defects were typically observed on the interfaces between these NPs and the matrix. The strain fields induced by these NPs are less distinct, possibly because part of the strain has been released by defect formation.

Keywords

DefectsThermoelectricityTransmission electron microscopy
Type
Articles
Information
Journal of Materials Research , Volume 26 , Issue 15: Focus Issue: Advances in Thermoelectric Materials , 14 August 2011 , pp. 1842 - 1847
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2011

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

1.Goldsmid, H.J.: Thermoelectric Refrigeration. (Plenum Press, New York, 1964).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
2.Slack, G.A.: CRC Handbook of Thermoelectrics, edited by Rowe, D.M. (CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, 1995).Google Scholar
3.Morelli, D.T. and Meisner, G.P.: Low temperature properties of the filled skutterudite CeFe4Sb12. J. Appl. Phys. 77, 3777 (1995).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
4.Nolas, G.S., Slack, G.A., Morelli, D.T., Tritt, T.M., and Ehrlich, A.C.: The effect of rare-earth filling on the lattice thermal conductivity of skutterudites. J. Appl. Phys. 79, 4002 (1996).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
5.Pei, Y.Z., Chen, L.D., Zhang, W., Shi, X., Bai, S.Q., Zhao, X.Y., Mei, Z.G., and Li, X.Y.: Synthesis and thermoelectric properties of KyCo4Sb12. Appl. Phys. Lett. 89, 221107 (2006).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
6.Chen, L.D., Kawahara, T., Tang, X.F., Goto, T.H.T., Dyck, I.J.S., Chen, W., and Uher, C.: Anomalous barium filling fraction and n-type thermoelectric performance of BayCo4Sb12. J. Appl. Phys. 90, 1864 (2001).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
7.Wu, L.J., Zheng, J.C., Zhou, J., Li, Q., Yang, J.H., and Zhu, Y.M.: Nanostructures and defects in thermoelectric AgPb18SbTe20 investigated by quantitative high resolution transmission electron microscopy. J. Appl. Phys. 105, 094317 (2009).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
8.Hsu, K.F., Loo, S., Guo, F., Chen, W., Dyck, J.S., Uher, C., Hogan, T., Polychroniadis, E.K., and Kanatzidis, M.G.: Cubic AgPbmSbTe2+m: Bulk thermoelectric materials with high figure of merit. Science 303, 818 (2004).CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
9.Poudel, B., Hao, Q., Ma, Y., Lan, Y.C., Minnich, A., Yu, B., Yan, X., Wang, D.Z., Muto, A., Vashaee, D., Chen, X.Y., Liu, J.M., Dresselhaus, M.S., Chen, G., and Ren, Z.F.: High-thermoelectric performance of nanostructured bismuth antimony telluride bulk alloys. Science 320, 634 (2008).CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
10.Li, Q., Lin, Z.W., and Zhou, J.: Thermoelectric materials with potential high power factors for electricity generation. J. Electron. Mater. 38, 1268 (2009).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
11.Jie, Q., Zhou, J., Dimitrov, I.K., Li, C.P., Uher, C., Wang, H., Porter, W., and Li, Q.: Thermoelectric properties of non-equilibrium synthesized Ce0.9Fe3CoSb12 filled skutterudites, in Thermoelectric Materials--Growth, Properties, Novel Characterization Methods, and Applications, edited by Tuller, H.L., Baniecki, J.D., Snyder, G.J., and Malen, J.A. (Mater. Res. Soc. Symp. Proc. 1267, Warrendale, PA, 2010), DD03-03.Google Scholar
12.Li, H., Tang, X.F., Su, X.L., and Zhang, Q.J.: Preparation and thermoelectric properties of high-performance Sb additional Yb0.2CoSb12+y bulk materials with nanostructures. Appl. Phys. Lett. 92, 202114(1–3) (2008).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
13.Tang, X.F., Xie, W.J., Li, H., Zhao, W.Y., and Zhang, Q.J.: Preparation and thermoelectric transport properties of high-performance p-type Bi2Te3 with layered nanostructure. Appl. Phys. Lett. 90, 012102(1–3) (2007).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
14.Chen, Y., Zhu, T.J., Yang, S.H., Zhang, S.N., Miao, W., and Zhao, X.B.: High-performance (AgxSbTex/2+1.5)15(GeTe)85 thermoelectric materials prepared by melt spinning. J. Electron. Mater. 39, 1719 (2010).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
15.Yu, C., Zhu, T.J., Xiao, K., Shen, J.J., Yang, S.H., and Zhao, X.B.: Reduced grain size and improved thermoelectric properties of melt spun (Hf, Zr)NiSn half-Heusler alloys. J. Electron. Mater. 39, 2008 (2010).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
16.Hÿtch, M.J., Snoeck, E., and Kilaas, R.: Quantitative measurement of displacement and strain fields from HREM micrographs. Ultramicroscopy 74, 131 (1998).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
17.Zhou, J., Jie, Q., and Li, Q.: Microstructure investigation of non-equilibrium synthesized filled skutterudite CeFe4Sb12, in Thermoelectric Materials–Growth, Properties, Novel Characterization Methods, and Applications, edited by Tuller, H.L., Baniecki, J.D., Snyder, G.J., and Malen, J.A. (Mater. Res. Soc. Symp. Proc. 1267, Warrendale, PA, 2010), DD05-25.Google Scholar