Related papers: Atomistic origin of glass-like Zn4Sb3 thermal cond…
We report first principles calculations of the structural, electronic, elastic and vibrational properties of the semiconducting orthorhombic ZnSb compound. We study also the intrinsic point defects in order to eventually improve the…
The intermetallic compound ZnSb is an interesting thermoelectric material, largely due to its low lattice thermal conductivity. The origin of the low thermal conductivity has so far been speculative. Using multi-temperature single crystal…
The structural stability of thermoelectric materials is a subject of growing importance for their energy harvesting applications. Here, we study the microscopic mechanisms governing the structural stability change of zinc antimony at its…
In the design of materials with low lattice thermal conductivity, compounds with high density, low speed of sound, and complexity at either the atomic, nano- or microstructural level are preferred. The layered compound Mg$_3$Sb$_2$ defies…
The lattice thermal conductivity of the candidate thermoelectric material Mg$_3$Sb$_2$ is studied from first principles, with the inclusion of anharmonic, isotope, and boundary scattering processes, and via an accurate solution of the…
Understanding lattice dynamics and thermal transport in crystalline compounds with intrinsically low lattice thermal conductivity ($\kappa_L$) is crucial in condensed matter physics. In this work, we investigate the lattice thermal…
We report a combined theoretical and experimental search for thermoelectric materials based on semiconducting zinc antimony. Influence of three new doping elements (sodium, potassium and boron) on the electronic properties is investigated…
In this theoretical study, we investigate the origins of the very low thermal conductivity of tin selenide (SnSe) using ab-initio calculations. We obtained high-temperature lattice thermal conductivity values that are close to those of…
The binary compound SnSe exhibits record high thermoelectric performance, largely because of its very low thermal conductivity. The origin of the strong phonon anharmonicity leading to the low thermal conductivity of SnSe is investigated…
An ultralow lattice thermal conductivity of 0.14 W$\cdot$ m$^{-1} \cdot$ K$^{-1}$ along the $\vec b$ axis of As$_2$Se$_3$ single crystals was obtained at 300 K by first-principles calculations involving the density functional theory and the…
Materials with low thermal conductivity usually have complex crystal structures. Herein we experimentally find that a simple crystal structure material AgTlI2 (I4/mcm) owns an extremely low thermal conductivity of 0.25 W/mK at room…
Using the phonon Boltzmann transport formalism and density functional theory based calculations, we show that stanene has a low thermal conductivity. For a sample size of 1$\times$1 $\mu$m$^{2}$ ($L\times W$), the lattice thermal…
Understanding thermal and electrical transport in topological materials is essential for advancing their applications in quantum technologies and energy conversion. Herein, we employ first-principles calculations to systematically…
In crystalline materials, low lattice thermal conductivity is often associated with strong anharmonicity, which can cause significant deviations from the expected Lorentzian lineshape of phonon spectral functions. These deviations,…
Recently, $\mathrm{BaSn_2}$ is predicted to be a strong topological insulator by the first-principle calculations. It is well known that topological insulator has a close connection to thermoelectric material, such as $\mathrm{Bi_2Te_3}$…
Topological materials are often associated with exceptional thermoelectric properties. Orthorhombic BaMnSb2 is a topological semimetal consisting of alternating layers of Ba, Sb, and MnSb. A recent experiment demonstrates that BaMnSb2 has a…
Alkali metal-based compounds have garnered significant attention due to their exceptionally low lattice thermal conductivity, which is crucial for applications in thermoelectric energy conversion and thermal barrier coatings. However, the…
The mixed ionic-electronic conductor $\beta$-Zn$_4$Sb$_3$ is a cheap and high performing thermoelectric material, but under operating conditions with a temperature gradient and a running current, the material decomposes as Zn readily…
Efficient and precise calculations of thermal transport properties and figure of merit, alongside a deep comprehension of thermal transport mechanisms, are essential for the practical utilization of advanced thermoelectric materials. In…
Compounds of Sn, such as SnSe and SnS, exhibit novel phonon characteristics and low thermal conductivity, making them emerging star materials in the thermoelectric family. In this work, through the Boltzmann transport equation scheme and…