Effect of ZnO and SnO2 Nanolayers at Grain Boundaries on Thermoelectric Properties of Polycrystalline Skutterudites

Nanostructuring is considered one of the key approaches to achieve highly efficient thermoelectric alloys by reducing thermal conductivity. In this study, we investigated the effect of oxide (ZnO and SnO2) nanolayers at the grain boundaries of polycrystalline In0.2&...

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Main Authors:	Sang-il Kim, Jiwoo An, Woo-Jae Lee, Se Hun Kwon, Woo Hyun Nam, Nguyen Van Du, Jong-Min Oh, Sang-Mo Koo, Jung Young Cho, Weon Ho Shin
Format:	Article
Language:	English
Published:	MDPI AG 2020-11-01
Series:	Nanomaterials
Subjects:	skutterudite thermoelectric atomic layer deposition ZnO SnO<sub>2</sub>
Online Access:	https://www.mdpi.com/2079-4991/10/11/2270

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spelling	doaj-249d6e87f26f411fb60889afbf4de3c42020-11-25T04:11:11ZengMDPI AGNanomaterials2079-49912020-11-01102270227010.3390/nano10112270Effect of ZnO and SnO<sub>2</sub> Nanolayers at Grain Boundaries on Thermoelectric Properties of Polycrystalline SkutteruditesSang-il Kim0Jiwoo An1Woo-Jae Lee2Se Hun Kwon3Woo Hyun Nam4Nguyen Van Du5Jong-Min Oh6Sang-Mo Koo7Jung Young Cho8Weon Ho Shin9Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Seoul, Seoul 02504, KoreaDepartment of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Seoul, Seoul 02504, KoreaSchool of Materials Science and Engineering, Pusan National University, Busan 46241, KoreaSchool of Materials Science and Engineering, Pusan National University, Busan 46241, KoreaEnergy & Environment Division, Korea Institute of Ceramic Engineering & Technology, Jinju 52851, KoreaEnergy & Environment Division, Korea Institute of Ceramic Engineering & Technology, Jinju 52851, KoreaDepartment of Electronic Materials Engineering, Kwangwoon University, Seoul 01897, KoreaDepartment of Electronic Materials Engineering, Kwangwoon University, Seoul 01897, KoreaEnergy & Environment Division, Korea Institute of Ceramic Engineering & Technology, Jinju 52851, KoreaDepartment of Electronic Materials Engineering, Kwangwoon University, Seoul 01897, KoreaNanostructuring is considered one of the key approaches to achieve highly efficient thermoelectric alloys by reducing thermal conductivity. In this study, we investigated the effect of oxide (ZnO and SnO<sub>2</sub>) nanolayers at the grain boundaries of polycrystalline In<sub>0.2</sub>Yb<sub>0.1</sub>Co<sub>4</sub>Sb<sub>12</sub> skutterudites on their electrical and thermal transport properties. Skutterudite powders with oxide nanolayers were prepared by atomic layer deposition method, and the number of deposition cycles was varied to control the coating thickness. The coated powders were consolidated by spark plasma sintering. With increasing number of deposition cycle, the electrical conductivity gradually decreased, while the Seebeck coefficient changed insignificantly; this indicates that the carrier mobility decreased due to the oxide nanolayers. In contrast, the lattice thermal conductivity increased with an increase in the number of deposition cycles, demonstrating the reduction in phonon scattering by grain boundaries owing to the oxide nanolayers. Thus, we could easily control the thermoelectric properties of skutterudite materials through adjusting the oxide nanolayer by atomic layer deposition method.https://www.mdpi.com/2079-4991/10/11/2270skutteruditethermoelectricatomic layer depositionZnOSnO<sub>2</sub>
collection	DOAJ
language	English
format	Article
sources	DOAJ
author	Sang-il Kim Jiwoo An Woo-Jae Lee Se Hun Kwon Woo Hyun Nam Nguyen Van Du Jong-Min Oh Sang-Mo Koo Jung Young Cho Weon Ho Shin
spellingShingle	Sang-il Kim Jiwoo An Woo-Jae Lee Se Hun Kwon Woo Hyun Nam Nguyen Van Du Jong-Min Oh Sang-Mo Koo Jung Young Cho Weon Ho Shin Effect of ZnO and SnO<sub>2</sub> Nanolayers at Grain Boundaries on Thermoelectric Properties of Polycrystalline Skutterudites Nanomaterials skutterudite thermoelectric atomic layer deposition ZnO SnO<sub>2</sub>
author_facet	Sang-il Kim Jiwoo An Woo-Jae Lee Se Hun Kwon Woo Hyun Nam Nguyen Van Du Jong-Min Oh Sang-Mo Koo Jung Young Cho Weon Ho Shin
author_sort	Sang-il Kim
title	Effect of ZnO and SnO<sub>2</sub> Nanolayers at Grain Boundaries on Thermoelectric Properties of Polycrystalline Skutterudites
title_short	Effect of ZnO and SnO<sub>2</sub> Nanolayers at Grain Boundaries on Thermoelectric Properties of Polycrystalline Skutterudites
title_full	Effect of ZnO and SnO<sub>2</sub> Nanolayers at Grain Boundaries on Thermoelectric Properties of Polycrystalline Skutterudites
title_fullStr	Effect of ZnO and SnO<sub>2</sub> Nanolayers at Grain Boundaries on Thermoelectric Properties of Polycrystalline Skutterudites
title_full_unstemmed	Effect of ZnO and SnO<sub>2</sub> Nanolayers at Grain Boundaries on Thermoelectric Properties of Polycrystalline Skutterudites
title_sort	effect of zno and sno<sub>2</sub> nanolayers at grain boundaries on thermoelectric properties of polycrystalline skutterudites
publisher	MDPI AG
series	Nanomaterials
issn	2079-4991
publishDate	2020-11-01
description	Nanostructuring is considered one of the key approaches to achieve highly efficient thermoelectric alloys by reducing thermal conductivity. In this study, we investigated the effect of oxide (ZnO and SnO<sub>2</sub>) nanolayers at the grain boundaries of polycrystalline In<sub>0.2</sub>Yb<sub>0.1</sub>Co<sub>4</sub>Sb<sub>12</sub> skutterudites on their electrical and thermal transport properties. Skutterudite powders with oxide nanolayers were prepared by atomic layer deposition method, and the number of deposition cycles was varied to control the coating thickness. The coated powders were consolidated by spark plasma sintering. With increasing number of deposition cycle, the electrical conductivity gradually decreased, while the Seebeck coefficient changed insignificantly; this indicates that the carrier mobility decreased due to the oxide nanolayers. In contrast, the lattice thermal conductivity increased with an increase in the number of deposition cycles, demonstrating the reduction in phonon scattering by grain boundaries owing to the oxide nanolayers. Thus, we could easily control the thermoelectric properties of skutterudite materials through adjusting the oxide nanolayer by atomic layer deposition method.
topic	skutterudite thermoelectric atomic layer deposition ZnO SnO<sub>2</sub>
url	https://www.mdpi.com/2079-4991/10/11/2270
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Effect of ZnO and SnO<sub>2</sub> Nanolayers at Grain Boundaries on Thermoelectric Properties of Polycrystalline Skutterudites

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