High Efficiency Half-Heusler Thermoelectric Materials for Energy Harvesting

Half-Heusler (HH) compounds have gained ever-increasing popularity as promising high temperature thermoelectric materials. High figure of merit zT of approximate to 1.0 above 1000 K has recently been realized for both n-type and p-type HH compounds, demonstrating the realistic prospect of these high temperature compounds for high efficiency power generation. Here, recent progress in advanced fabrication techniques and the intrinsic atomic disorders in HH compounds, which are linked to the understanding of the electrical transport, is discussed. Thermoelectric transport features of n-type ZrNiSn-based HH alloys are particularly emphasized, which is beneficial to further improving thermoelectric performance and comprehensively understanding the underlying mechanisms in HH thermoelectric materials. The rational design and realization of new high performance p-type Fe(V,Nb)Sb-based HH compounds are also demonstrated. The outlook for future research directions of HH thermoelectric materials is also discussed.