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Research Article | Open Access

Microstructure and composition engineering Yb single-filled CoSb3 for high thermoelectric and mechanical performances

Zhenxing Zhoua,1, Matthias T. Agneb,1, Qihao Zhangc( ), Shun Wand, Qingfeng Songc,e, Qing Xuc,e, Xiaofang Lua, Shijia Gua, Yuchi Fanf, Wan Jianga,g, Gerald Jeffrey Snyderb( ), Lianjun Wanga( )
State Key Laboratory for Modification of Chemical Fibers and Polymer Materials, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Donghua University, Shanghai, 201620, China
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, 60208, USA
State Key Laboratory of High Performance Ceramics and Superfine Microstructure, Shanghai Institute of Ceramics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 200050, China
Center for High Pressure Science and Technology Advanced Research (HPSTAR), Shanghai, 201203, China
University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 19 Yuquan Road, Beijing, 100049, China
Institute of Functional Materials, Donghua University, Shanghai, 201620, China
School of Material Science and Engineering, Jingdezhen Ceramic Institute, Jindezhen, 333000, China

1 These authors contributed equally to this work.

Peer review under responsibility of The Chinese Ceramic Society.

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Graphical Abstract

Abstract

A broad tunability of the thermoelectric and mechanical properties of CoSb3 has been demonstrated by adjusting the composition with the addition of an increasing number of elements. However, such a strategy may negatively impact processing repeatability and composition control. In this work, single-element-filled skutterudite is engineered to have high thermoelectric and mechanical performances. Increased Yb filling fraction is found to increase phonon scattering, whereas cryogenic grinding contributes additional microstructural scattering. A peak zT of 1.55 and an average zT of about 1.09, which is comparable to the reported results of multiple-filled SKDs, are realized by the combination of simple composition and microstructure engineering. Furthermore, the mechanical properties of Yb single-filled CoSb3 skutterudite are improved by manipulation of the microstructure through cryogenic grinding. These findings highlight the realistic prospect of producing high-performance thermoelectric materials with reduced compositional complexity.

Keywords

SkutteruditesThermoelectric materialCompositional complexityMicrostructure engineeringCryogenic grinding

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Journal of Materiomics
Volume 5 Issue 4,
December 2019
Pages 702-710
DOI: 10.1016/j.jmat.2019.04.008
Cite this article:
Zhou Z, Agne MT, Zhang Q, et al. Microstructure and composition engineering Yb single-filled CoSb3 for high thermoelectric and mechanical performances. Journal of Materiomics, 2019, 5(4): 702-710. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmat.2019.04.008

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Received: 02 March 2019
Revised: 18 April 2019
Accepted: 23 April 2019
Published: 27 April 2019
© 2019 The Chinese Ceramic Society. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V.

This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
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