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Ternary Skutterudites: Anion Ordering and Thermoelectric Properties

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 February 2011

Paz Vaqueiro  and
Gerard G. Sobany
Paz Vaqueiro
Affiliation:
chepv@hw.ac.uk, Heriot-Watt University, Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, EH14 4AS, United Kingdom
Gerard G. Sobany
Affiliation:
gsg2@hw.ac.uk, Heriot-Watt University, Department of Chemistry, Edinburgh, EH14 4AS, United Kingdom
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Abstract

The ternary skutterudites AB1.5Q1.5 (A = Co, Rh, Ir, B =Ge, Sn and Q = S, Te) have been synthesized and structurally characterised. Powder diffraction data are consistent with the presence of anion ordering, which results in a lowering of the symmetry from cubic to rhombohedral. The ordered skutterudite structure contains rhomboidal four-membered B2Q2 rings, instead of the homonuclear rectangular rings found in binary skutterudites. The electrical transport properties of the AB1.5Q1.5 phases are consistent with semiconducting behaviour, and large values of the Seebeck coefficient have been observed for several of these materials. While their large electrical resistivities might make these materials unsuitable for thermoelectric applications unless significant improvements can be achieved by doping, these materials also exhibit significantly lower thermal conductivities than their binary counterparts.

Keywords

thermoelectricityx-ray diffraction (XRD)semiconducting
Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 1044: Symposium U – Thermoelectric Power Generation , 2007 , 1044-U05-08
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2008

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