Reduced Lattice Thermal Conductivity for Improved Thermoelectric Performance through Non-equilibrium Processing

• Applicant: Dr. Ran He
• Subject Area: Synthesis and Properties of Functional Materials
• Term: since 2021
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 453261231

To improve the performance of thermoelectric (TE) materials, it is pivotal to drastically reduce the materials’ lattice thermal conductivity (κL). This is especially true for the high-power-factor materials such as the half-Heusler compounds where the TE performance is mainly limited by the remaining high values of κL. This project will take up the challenge to reduce the κL of half-Heusler compounds to an unprecedented level through microstructural modifications by employing non-equilibrium processing such as cryogenic milling, powder amorphization, and high pressure sintering, etc. The effectiveness of the proposed non-equilibrium processing is demonstrated in our preliminary results. Subsequent development will focus on process optimization to further decouple the transport of electron and phonon for substantial zT enhancement. Success of this project will facilitate the large-scale applications of TE materials in a variety of scenarios

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• International Connection: USA
• Cooperation Partner: Dr. Taishan Zhu