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Science 6 February 2004:
Vol. 303. no. 5659, pp. 818 - 821
DOI: 10.1126/science.1092963
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Reports

Cubic AgPbmSbTe2+m: Bulk Thermoelectric Materials with High Figure of Merit

Kuei Fang Hsu,1 Sim Loo,2 Fu Guo,2 Wei Chen,3 Jeffrey S. Dyck,3 Ctirad Uher,3 Tim Hogan,2 E. K. Polychroniadis,4 Mercouri G. Kanatzidis1*

The conversion of heat to electricity by thermoelectric devices may play a key role in the future for energy production and utilization. However, in order to meet that role, more efficient thermoelectric materials are needed that are suitable for high-temperature applications. We show that the material system AgPbmSbTe2+m may be suitable for this purpose. With m = 10 and 18 and doped appropriately, n-type semiconductors can be produced that exhibit a high thermoelectric figure of merit material ZTmax of ~2.2 at 800 kelvin. In the temperature range 600 to 900 kelvin, the AgPbmSbTe2+m material is expected to outperform all reported bulk thermoelectrics, thereby earmarking it as a material system for potential use in efficient thermoelectric power generation from heat sources.

1 Department of Chemistry, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA.
2 Electrical and Computer Engineering and Materials Science and Mechanics, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA.
3 Department of Physics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA.
4 Physics Department, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece.

* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: kanatzid{at}cem.msu.edu

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