Interface Engineering Boosting High Power Density and Conversion Efficiency in Mg2Sn0.75Ge0.25-Based Thermoelectric Devices

Electrode contact interfaces for practical thermoelectric (TE) devices require high bonding strength, low specific contact resistivity, and superb stability. Herein, the state-of-the-art Cu2MgFe/Mg2Sn0.75Ge0.25 interface is designed for Mg2Sn0.75Ge0.25-based TE devices, adhering to the general strategy of high bonding propensity, thermal expansion matching, diffusion passivation, and dopant inactivation. The interfacial stability is verified by the in situ transmission electron microscopy analysis, thereby confirming the contributions from decreasing the chemical potential gradient and increasing the diffusion activation energy barrier. The single-leg device exhibits a high power density (& omega;(max)) of 2.6 W cm(-2) and conversion efficiency (& eta;(max)) of 8% under a temperature difference (& UDelta;T) of 370 & DEG;C, which is the record-breaking value in comparison to other Mg-2(Si, Ge, Sn)-based TE devices. Additionally, a two-couple device with p-type Bi2Te3 shows an excellent & omega;(max) of 1.3 W cm(-2) and & eta;(max) of 5.4% under a & UDelta;T of 270 & DEG;C, comparable to commercial Bi2Te3 devices. The proposed interface design strategy provides a general technique for constructing high-performance devices using cutting-edge TE materials.

Automated summary

This article provides a design strategy for the electrode contact interface of Mg2Sn0.75Ge0.25-based TE devices, which exhibits high bonding strength, low contact resistivity, and excellent stability. The stability of the interface is confirmed by in situ transmission electron microscopy analysis, which reduces the chemical potential gradient and increases the diffusion activation energy barrier. This interface design strategy could be applied to construct high-performance devices using advanced TE materials.