Open AccessUltrahigh figure‐of‐merit of Cu 2 Se incorporated with carbon coated boron nanoparticles
Author(s) -
Li Meng,
Islam Sheik Md. Kazi Nazrul,
Yahyaoglu Mujde,
Pan Deng,
Shi Xun,
Chen Lidong,
Aydemir Umut,
Wang Xiaolin
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
infomat
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2567-3165
DOI - 10.1002/inf2.12006
Subject(s) - figure of merit , materials science , thermoelectric materials , thermoelectric effect , boron , nanoparticle , thermal conductivity , energy conversion efficiency , carbon fibers , seebeck coefficient , chemical engineering , nanotechnology , optoelectronics , composite material , thermodynamics , chemistry , physics , organic chemistry , composite number , engineering
Cu 2 Se based thermoelectric materials are of great potential for high‐temperature energy harvesting due to their high‐temperature figure‐of‐merit ( zT ). For further development of Cu 2 Se, both engineering and mid‐temperature figure‐of‐merit need to be improved. In this work, we report that carbon‐coated boron (C/B) nanoparticles incorporation can significantly improve both mid‐ and high‐temperature z T in Cu 2 Se. The nanoparticle inclusions can result in a homogeneous distribution of Cu:C:B interfaces responsible for both improvement of the Seebeck coefficient and significantly reduction in thermal conductivity. Ultrahigh mid‐ and high temperature thermoelectric performance with zT = 1.7 at 700 K and 2.23 at 1000 K as well as significantly improved engineering zT are achieved in the C/B incorporated Cu 2 Se with desirable mechanical properties and cycling stability. Our findings will stimulate further study and exploration for the Cu 2 Se based thermoelectric materials for broad applications in converting waste heat to electricity with competitive energy conversion efficiency.