Open AccessEffect of nanoinclusions on the lattice thermal conductivity of SnSe
Author(s) -
Raveena Gupta,
Chandan Bera
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
nano express
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2632-959X
DOI - 10.1088/2632-959x/abd291
Subject(s) - thermal conductivity , materials science , volume fraction , thermoelectric effect , anisotropy , thermoelectric materials , lattice (music) , crystallite , condensed matter physics , figure of merit , nanocomposite , thermodynamics , nanotechnology , composite material , physics , optoelectronics , optics , metallurgy , acoustics
We theoretically investigate the effect of nanoparticle(NP) inclusion on the lattice thermal conductivity ( κ l ) of SnSe matrix. The theoretical approach involves the prediction of κ l by varying the radius ( R ), density ( D 1 ), and volume fraction ( ε ) of NP in SnSe matrix. NP has strong anisotropic effect on the lattice thermal conductivity reduction along the crystallographic direction. We observe the existence of an optimal NP volume fraction that minimizes the nanocomposite's thermal conductivity. At room temperature, this value is found to be ε = 0.317 for which lattice thermal conductivity reduces by 35% with NP ( R = 5 nm) compared to pure SnSe. An enhancement in the figure of merit ( ZT ) around room temperature opens up new opportunities for thermoelectric power generation at moderate temperatures. Even larger enhancement is possible in polycrystalline SnSe which will be helpful for thermoelectric devices.