Investigation on halogen-doped n-type SnTe thermoelectrics

Recent theoretical predictions and experimental findings on the transport properties of n-type SnTe have triggered extensive researches on this simple binary compound, despite the realization of n-type SnTe being a great challenge. Herein, Cl as a donor dopant can effectively regulate the position of Fermi level in Sn0.6Pb0.4Te matrix and successfully achieve the n-type transport behavior in SnTe. An outstanding power factor of similar to 14.7 mu W.cm(-1).K-2 at 300 K was obtained for Cl-doped Sn0.6Pb0.4Te sample. By combining the experimental analysis with theoretical calculations, the transport properties of n-type SnTe thermoelectrics doped with different halogen dopants (Cl, Br, and I) were then systematically investigated and estimated. The results demonstrated that Br and I had better doping efficiencies compared with Cl, which contributed to the well-optimized carrier concentrations of similar to 1.03 x 10(19) and similar to 1.11 x 10(19) cm(-3) at 300 K, respectively. The improved n-type carrier concentrations effectively lead to the significant enhancement on the thermoelectric performance of n-type SnTe. Our study further promoted the experimental progress and deep interpretation of the transport features in n-type SnTe thermoelectrics. The present results could also be crucial for the development of n-type counterparts for SnTe-based thermoelectric devices.

Automated summary

Recent research has focused on the transport properties of n-type SnTe based on theoretical predictions and experimental findings. This study successfully achieved n-type transport behavior in SnTe by using chlorine as a dopant, which effectively regulated the position of the Fermi level in the Sn0.6Pb0.4Te matrix. The results showed that bromine and iodine had better doping efficiencies compared to chlorine, leading to improved thermoelectric performance in n-type SnTe.