Self-tuning of carrier concentration for high thermoelectric performance

摘要

The inventors demonstrate herein that homogeneous Ag-doped PbTe/Ag₂Te composites exhibit high thermoelectric performance (˜50% over La-doped composites) associated with an inherent temperature induced gradient in the doping concentration caused by the temperature-dependent solubility of Ag in the PbTe matrix. This method provides a new mechanism to achieve a higher thermoelectric efficiency afforded by a given material system, and is generally applicable to other thermoelectric materials.