Realizing high-ranged thermoelectric performance in PbSnS2 crystals

Great progress has been achieved in p-type SnS thermoelectric compound recently, while the stagnation of the n-type counterpart hinders the construction of thermoelectric devices. Herein, n-type sulfide PbSnS2 with isostructural to SnS is obtained through Pb alloying and achieves a maximum ZT of similar to 1.2 and an average ZT of similar to 0.75 within 300-773 K, which originates from enhanced power factor and intrinsically ultralow thermal conductivity. Combining the optimized carrier concentration by Cl doping and enlarged Seebeck coefficient through activating multiple conduction bands evolutions with temperature, favorable power factors are maintained. Besides, the electron doping stabilizes the phase of PbSnS2 and the complex-crystal-structure induced strong anharmonicity results in ultralow lattice thermal conductivity. Moreover, a maximum power generation efficiency of similar to 2.7% can be acquired in a single-leg device. Our study develops a n-type sulfide PbSnS2 with high performance, which is a potential candidate to match the excellent p-type SnS.

Automated summary

Significant progress has been made in p-type SnS thermoelectric compounds, but the development of n-type counterparts has been stagnant, hindering the advancement of thermoelectric devices. In this study, n-type sulfide PbSnS2 with a similar structure to SnS was successfully synthesized through Pb alloying and demonstrated high performance. This material exhibits excellent thermoelectric properties and low thermal conductivity, making it a potential candidate to match the p-type SnS and play a crucial role in the field of thermoelectric devices.