Numerical study of magnetic island coalescence using magnetohydrodynamics with adaptively embedded particle-in-cell model

Recently, SnSe based thermoelectric materials attained much interest due to their environment friendly IV-VI semiconductor group. Herein, Al doped SnSe (Sn1-xAlxSe) specimens were prepared by combined ball milling and spark plasma sintering. High resolution transmission electron microscopy analysis of (Sn1-xAlxSe) nanostructure samples confirmed the existence of different crystal defects and dislocation induced by Al doping. Lower thermal conductivity (0.63 W/mK at 750 K) is observed for Sno.92Al0.08Se samples than pristine SnSe (1.14 W/mK at 750 K), which is mainly attributed to various crystal defects, such as lattice dislocation, stacking fault, grain boundary scattering, and excellent anharmonic bonding nature of SnSe. The maximum electrical conductivity is observed for the SAS-2 sample, which correlates well with the low activation energy of 0.20 eV. The minimal doping of Al (SAS-2) decoupled the strong interdependency of electrical and thermal transport properties, leading to a maximum ZT of 0.18 at 743 K. The Al doped SnSe (Sn1-xAlxSe) induced point defects in the sample, which provides a new strategy for waste heat recovery.

Automated summary

Recently, SnSe-based thermoelectric materials with environment-friendly properties have attracted significant attention. In this study, Al-doped SnSe (Sn1-xAlxSe) specimens were prepared using ball milling and spark plasma sintering. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy analysis confirmed the presence of various crystal defects and dislocations induced by Al doping in the nanostructured (Sn1-xAlxSe) samples. The Sn0.92Al0.08Se samples exhibited lower thermal conductivity (0.63 W/mK at 750 K) compared to pristine SnSe (1.14 W/mK at 750 K), mainly due to the presence of different crystal defects and the excellent anharmonic bonding nature of SnSe. The SAS-2 sample showed the highest electrical conductivity, which correlated well with the low activation energy of 0.20 eV. The minimal Al doping (SAS-2) decoupled the strong interdependency of electrical and thermal transport properties, resulting in a maximum ZT value of 0.18 at 743 K. The Al-doped SnSe (Sn1-xAlxSe) introduced point defects in the sample, providing a new strategy for waste heat recovery.