Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Influence of Sn on the structural and thermoelectric properties of the type-I clathrates Ba8Cu5Si6Ge35-xSnx (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.6)

  • Published:
MRS Online Proceedings Library Aims and scope

Abstract

On the search for cost-competitive thermoelectric clathrates we have investigated the influence of Sn substitutions for Ge on the structural and thermoelectric properties of the type-I clathrate Ba8Cu5Si6Ge35. The solid solubility of Sn was found to be limited to 0.6 atoms per unit cell. A series of compounds with the nominal compositions Ba8Cu5Si6Ge35-xSnx (x = 0.2, 0.4, 0.6) was synthesized in a high-frequency furnace. The samples were annealed, and subsequently ball milled and hot pressed. The hot pressed samples were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and transport property measurements. Our results show that the substitution of Ge by Sn introduces vacancies at the 6d site of the type-I clathrate structure and shifts the highest dimensionless thermoelectric figure of merit ZT from 570 °C for the Sn free sample to lower temperatures. The highest figure of merit ZT = 0.42 is reached at about 320 °C for the Sn-substituted sample Ba8Cu5Si6Ge35Sn0.6.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. G. A. Slack, CRC Handbook of Thermoelectrics, edited by D. M. Rowe (Boca Raton, FL: CRC, 1995), pp. 407.

  2. G. A. Slack, Mater. Res. Soc. Symp. Proc. 47, 478 (1997).

    Google Scholar 

  3. J. Kasper, P. Hagenmuller, M. Pouchard, and C. Cros, Science 150, 1713 (1965)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. J. L. Cohn, G. S. Nolas, V. Fessatidis, T. H. Metcalf, and G. A. Slack, Phys. Rev. Lett. 82, 779 (1999).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. G. S. Nolas, T. J. R. Weakley, J. L. Cohn, and R. Sharma, Phys. Rev. B 61, 3845 (2000).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. G. S. Nolas, B. C. Chakoumakos, B. Mahieu, G. J. Long, and T. J. R. Weakley, Chem. Mater. 12, 1947 (2000).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. M. Christensen, A. B. Abrahamsen, N. B. Christensen, F. Juranyi, N. H. Andersen, K. Lefmann, J. Andreasson, C. R. H. Bal, and B. B. Iversen, Nature Mater. 7, 811 (2008).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. H. Euchner, M. Mihalkovic, F. Gähler, M. R. Johnson, H. Schober, S. Rols, E. Suard, A. Bosak, S. Ohhashi, A.-P. Tsai, S. Lidin, C. P. Gomez, J. Custers, S. Paschen, and M. de Boissieui, Phys. Rev. B 83, 144202 (2011)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. H. Schäfer, Annu. Rev. Mater. Sci. 15, 1 (1985).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. W. Carrrillo-Cabrera, S. Budnyk, Y. Prots, and Y. Grin, Z. Anorg. Allg. Chem. 630, 7226 (2004).

    Google Scholar 

  11. H. Fukuoka, J. Kiyoto, and S. Yamanaka, J. Solid State Chem. 175, 237–244 (2003).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. M. Christensen, S. Johnsen, and B. B. Iversen, Dalton Trans. 39, 978 (2010).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. X. Yan, E. Bauer, P. Rogl, and S. Paschen, submitted Phys. Rev. B.

  14. X. Shi, J. Yang, S. Bai, J. Yang, H. Wang, M. Chi, J. R. Salvador, W. Zhang, L. Chen, and W. Wong-Ng, Adv. Funct. Mater. 20, 755 (2010).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. S. Johnsen, A. Bentien, G. K. H. Madsen, and B. B. Iversen, Chem. Mater. 18, 4633 (2006).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. A. Bentien, S. Johnsen, and B. B. Iversen, Phys. Rev. B 73, 09403 (2006).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. L. T. K. Nguyen, U. Aydemir, M. Baitinger, E. Bauer, H. Borrmann, U. Burkhardt, J. Custers, A. Haghighirad, R. Höfler, K. D. Luther, F. Ritter, W. Assmus, Y. Grin, and S. Paschen, Dalton Trans. 39, 1071 (2010).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. M. Hokazono, H. Anno, and K. Matsubara, Mater. Trans. 46(07), 1485 (2005).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. X. Yan, M. X. Chen, S. Laumann, E. Bauer, P. Rogl, R. Podloucky, and S. Paschen, Phys. Rev. B 85, 165127 (2012).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. X. Yan, A. Grytsiv, G. Giester, E. Bauer, P. Rogl, and S. Paschen, J. Electron. Mater. 40, 589 (2011).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. M. Falmbigl, A. Grytsiv, P. Rogl, X. Yan, E. Royanian, and E. Bauer, submitted to Dalton Trans. DOI: 10.1039/c2dt32049e.

  22. G. J. Goldsmid and J. W. Sharp, J. Electron. Mater. 28, 869 (1999).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. P. J. Price, Philos. Mag. 46, 1252 (1955).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank M. Falmbigl and A. Grytsiv for assistance in hot pressing. We also thank M. Wass for assistance in SEM/EDX measurements. This work was supported by the Austrian Science Fund (FWF project TRP 176-N22).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Solid State Physics, Vienna University of Technology, Wiedner Hauptstr. 8–10, 1040, Vienna, Austria

    X. Yan, E. Bauer & S. Paschen

  2. Institute of Physical Chemistry, University of Vienna, Währingerstr. 42, 1090, Vienna, Austria

    P. Rogl

Authors
  1. X. Yan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. E. Bauer
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. P. Rogl
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. S. Paschen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Yan, X., Bauer, E., Rogl, P. et al. Influence of Sn on the structural and thermoelectric properties of the type-I clathrates Ba8Cu5Si6Ge35-xSnx (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.6). MRS Online Proceedings Library 1490, 92–99 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1557/opl.2013.23

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1557/opl.2013.23

Search

Navigation