Defect engineering in solution-processed polycrystalline SnSe leads to high thermoelectric performance
Liu, Yu (Institute of Science and Technology Austria)
Calcabrini, Mariano (Institute of Science and Technology Austria)
Yu, Yuan (I. Physikalisches Institut (IA))
Lee, Seungho (Institute of Science and Technology Austria)
Chang, Cheng (Institute of Science and Technology Austria)
David, Jérémy (Institut Català de Nanociència i Nanotecnologia)
Ghosh, Tanmoy (Institute of Science and Technology Austria)
Spadaro, Maria Chiara (Institut Català de Nanociència i Nanotecnologia)
Xie, Chenyang (Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya. Departament de Física)
Cojocaru-Mirédin, Oana (I. Physikalisches Institut (IA))
Arbiol i Cobos, Jordi (Institut Català de Nanociència i Nanotecnologia)
Ibáñez, Maria (Institute of Science and Technology Austria)

Date:	2022
Abstract:	SnSe has emerged as one of the most promising materials for thermoelectric energy conversion due to its extraordinary performance in its single-crystal form and its low-cost constituent elements. However, to achieve an economic impact, the polycrystalline counterpart needs to replicate the performance of the single crystal. Herein, we optimize the thermoelectric performance of polycrystalline SnSe produced by consolidating solution-processed and surface-engineered SnSe particles. In particular, the SnSe particles are coated with CdSe molecular complexes that crystallize during the sintering process, forming CdSe nanoparticles. The presence of CdSe nanoparticles inhibits SnSe grain growth during the consolidation step due to Zener pinning, yielding a material with a high density of grain boundaries. Moreover, the resulting SnSe-CdSe nanocomposites present a large number of defects at different length scales, which significantly reduce the thermal conductivity. The produced SnSe-CdSe nanocomposites exhibit thermoelectric figures of merit up to 2. 2 at 786 K, which is among the highest reported for solution-processed SnSe.
Grants:	European Commission 754411 European Commission 665385 European Commission 665919 European Commission 754510 Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad SEV-2017-0706 Agència de Gestió d'Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca 2017/SGR-327 Agencia Estatal de Investigación PID2020-116093RB-C43 European Commission 823717
Note:	Altres ajuts: CERCA Programme/Generalitat de Catalunya
Rights:	Aquest document està subjecte a una llicència d'ús Creative Commons. Es permet la reproducció total o parcial, la distribució, la comunicació pública de l'obra i la creació d'obres derivades, fins i tot amb finalitats comercials, sempre i quan es reconegui l'autoria de l'obra original.
Language:	Anglès
Document:	Article ; recerca ; Versió publicada
Subject:	Tin selenide ; Nanocomposite ; Grain growth ; Zener pinning ; Thermoelectricity ; Annealing ; Solution processing
Published in:	ACS nano, Vol. 16, Issue 1 (January 2022) , p. 78-88, ISSN 1936-086X

DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.1c06720
PMID: 34549956

11 p, 8.7 MB

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Research literature > UAB research groups literature > Research Centres and Groups (research output) > Experimental sciences > Catalan Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (ICN2)
Articles > Research articles
Articles > Published articles