Structural evolution from neutron powder diffraction of nanostructured snte obtained by arc melting

Among chalcogenide thermoelectric materials, SnTe is an excellent candidate for intermediate temperature applications, in replacement of toxic PbTe. We have prepared pure polycrystalline SnTe by arc melting, and investigated the structural evolution by temperature-dependent neutron powder diffractio...

Descripción completa

Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Gainza, Javier, Serrano Sánchez, Federico, Rodrigues, Joao Elias F. S., Dura, Óscar J., Fragoso, Brenda, Ferrer, Mateus M., Nemes, Norbert Marcel, Martínez, José Luis, Fernández Díaz, María T., Alonso, José Antonio
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2023
País:España
Institución:Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM)
Repositorio:Docta Complutense
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:docta.ucm.es:20.500.14352/73232
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/73232
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:538.9
Thermoelectrics
Neutron powder diffraction
Ge deficiency
Structural phase transition
Física de materiales
Física del estado sólido
2211 Física del Estado Sólido
Descripción
Sumario:Among chalcogenide thermoelectric materials, SnTe is an excellent candidate for intermediate temperature applications, in replacement of toxic PbTe. We have prepared pure polycrystalline SnTe by arc melting, and investigated the structural evolution by temperature-dependent neutron powder diffraction (NPD) from room temperature up to 973 K. In this temperature range, the sample is cubic (space group Fm-3m) and shows considerably larger displacement parameters for Te than for Sn. The structural analysis allowed the determination of the Debye model parameters and provided information on the Sn-Te chemical bonds. SEM images show a conspicuous nanostructuration in layers below 30 nm thick, which contributes to the reduction of the thermal conductivity down to 2.5 W/m center dot K at 800 K. The SPS treatment seems to reduce the number of Sn vacancies, thus diminishing the carrier density and increasing the Seebeck coefficient, which reaches 60 mu V K^(-1) at 700 K, as well as the weighted mobility, almost doubled compared with that of the as-grown sample.