Effects of yttrium doping on the thermoelectric properties of Hf0.6Zr0.4NiSn0.98Sb0.02 half-Heusler alloys

The (Y,Sb) codoped (Hf(0.6)Zr(0.4))(1-x)Y(x)NiSn(0.98)Sb(0.02) (x=0, 0.01, 0.015, 0.02, and 0.025) half-Heusler alloys were prepared by levitation melting and spark plasma sintering. The effects of Y doping on the electrical conductivity, the Seebeck coefficient, and the thermal conductivity have been investigated in the temperature range of 300-900 K. It was found that the Y doping decreased the carrier concentration and electrical conductivity due to the introduction of hole carriers. The thermal conductivity was also reduced upon Y doping, mainly due to the reduced carrier thermal conductivity. The Y-doping substantially increased the Seebeck coefficient because of the decrease in carrier concentration. Pisarenko plot showed that the measured room temperature Seebeck coefficients agrees well with the predicted single parabolic band behavior as a function of the carrier concentration, suggesting that no additional mechanisms cause the extra enhancement of Seebeck coefficient in the Y Sb codoped half-Heusler alloys. The figure of merit ZT of 1% Y-doped sample was increased by a factor of about 25% than that of the undoped sample. (C) 2010 American Institute of Physics. [doi:10.1063/1.3475719]