The Thermoelectric Properties of SnSe Continue to Surprise: Extraordinary Electron and Phonon Transport

Cheng Chang; Gangjian Tan; Jiaqing He; Mercouri G. Kanatzidis; Li Dong Zhao

doi:10.1021/acs.chemmater.8b03732

The Thermoelectric Properties of SnSe Continue to Surprise: Extraordinary Electron and Phonon Transport

Cheng Chang, Gangjian Tan, Jiaqing He, Mercouri G. Kanatzidis^*, Li Dong Zhao

^*Corresponding author for this work

Chemistry

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

89 Scopus citations

Abstract

Thermoelectric technology enables the harvest of waste heat and its direct conversion into electricity. Most well-developed strategies aimed at enhancing thermoelectric performance are based on isotropic bulk materials. The strong coupling relationships in thermoelectric parameters make it difficult to optimize electron or phonon transport solely to realize high thermoelectric performance. Recently, many emerging materials with 2D structures elucidate superior thermoelectric properties originating from their anisotropic structures and transport features. However, the strategies to enhance thermoelectric performance for these materials with 2D structures are still ambiguous. In this Perspective, SnSe was selected as an example with 2D structures; the remarkable electron and phonon transport of SnSe are summarized for several aspects, including crystal structure, anharmonicity, multiple valence band structure, continuous phase transition, and 3D charge and 2D phonon transport. These illuminating discoveries in SnSe could provide routes to seek promising thermoelectric materials with 2D structures and enhance the thermoelectric performance.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	7355-7367
Number of pages	13
Journal	Chemistry of Materials
Volume	30
Issue number	21
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.chemmater.8b03732
State	Published - Nov 13 2018

Funding

Mercouri G. Kanatzidis: 0000-0003-2037-4168 Li-Dong Zhao: 0000-0003-1247-4345 Funding This work was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China under grants 51671015, 51772012, and 51571007, National Key Research and Development Program of China under grant 2018YFB0703600, the Beijing Municipal Science & Technology Commission under g Z171100002017002, and 111 Project under grant B17002. At Northwestern University (M.G.K.), basic research on thermoelectric materials is supported by the Department of Energy, Office of Science Basic Energy Sciences under grant DE-SC0014520, DOE Office of Science. G.T. would like to acknowledge the financial support from the Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 11804261). Notes The authors declare no competing financial interest. Biographies Cheng Chang is a Ph.D. candidate in the School of Materials Science and Engineering at Beihang University. He received his BE degree in Materials Science and Engineering from Beihang University in 2014. He joined Li-Dong Zhao’s group in 2014 as a Master’s student and then continued to pursue his Ph.D. degree from 2016. His main research interests focus on the fabrication and electrical and thermal transport properties of crystals with layered structures.

ASJC Scopus subject areas

General Chemistry
General Chemical Engineering
Materials Chemistry

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10.1021/acs.chemmater.8b03732

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title = "The Thermoelectric Properties of SnSe Continue to Surprise: Extraordinary Electron and Phonon Transport",

abstract = "Thermoelectric technology enables the harvest of waste heat and its direct conversion into electricity. Most well-developed strategies aimed at enhancing thermoelectric performance are based on isotropic bulk materials. The strong coupling relationships in thermoelectric parameters make it difficult to optimize electron or phonon transport solely to realize high thermoelectric performance. Recently, many emerging materials with 2D structures elucidate superior thermoelectric properties originating from their anisotropic structures and transport features. However, the strategies to enhance thermoelectric performance for these materials with 2D structures are still ambiguous. In this Perspective, SnSe was selected as an example with 2D structures; the remarkable electron and phonon transport of SnSe are summarized for several aspects, including crystal structure, anharmonicity, multiple valence band structure, continuous phase transition, and 3D charge and 2D phonon transport. These illuminating discoveries in SnSe could provide routes to seek promising thermoelectric materials with 2D structures and enhance the thermoelectric performance.",

author = "Cheng Chang and Gangjian Tan and Jiaqing He and Kanatzidis, {Mercouri G.} and Zhao, {Li Dong}",

note = "Funding Information: Mercouri G. Kanatzidis: 0000-0003-2037-4168 Li-Dong Zhao: 0000-0003-1247-4345 Funding This work was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China under grants 51671015, 51772012, and 51571007, National Key Research and Development Program of China under grant 2018YFB0703600, the Beijing Municipal Science & Technology Commission under g Z171100002017002, and 111 Project under grant B17002. At Northwestern University (M.G.K.), basic research on thermoelectric materials is supported by the Department of Energy, Office of Science Basic Energy Sciences under grant DE-SC0014520, DOE Office of Science. G.T. would like to acknowledge the financial support from the Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 11804261). Notes The authors declare no competing financial interest. Biographies Cheng Chang is a Ph.D. candidate in the School of Materials Science and Engineering at Beihang University. He received his BE degree in Materials Science and Engineering from Beihang University in 2014. He joined Li-Dong Zhao{\textquoteright}s group in 2014 as a Master{\textquoteright}s student and then continued to pursue his Ph.D. degree from 2016. His main research interests focus on the fabrication and electrical and thermal transport properties of crystals with layered structures. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2018 American Chemical Society.",

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The Thermoelectric Properties of SnSe Continue to Surprise: Extraordinary Electron and Phonon Transport

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