Influence of In doping on the thermoelectric properties of AgSbTe2 compound

What is it about?

Doping is a potential approach to optimize the thermoelectric properties of p-type AgSbTe2 by reducing its thermal conductivity and adjusting its carrier concentration. In this study, trivalent In3+ ions were selected to substitute Sb3+ ions in a p-type Ag(Sb1-xInx)Te2 system to dramatically suppress lattice thermal conductivity and simultaneously contribute to the total charge-carrier concentration.

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Why is it important?

The optimal TE performance was achieved using the sample with x = 0.07, because substituting In for Sb led to increased carrier concentration and enhanced phonon scattering. A maximal ZT value of 1.35 was achieved at 650 K for the Ag(Sb0.97In0.03)Te2 sample, which is 40% higher than that of the undoped AgSbTe2 at the same temperature.These results suggest that the Ag(Sb1-xInx)Te2 system with x = 0.07 has potential applications in TE power generation in the medium temperature range.