Optoelectronic Properties, Elastic Moduli and Thermoelectricity of SrAlGa: An Ab Initio Study

What is it about?

Half-Heusler materials can be derived by combining a rocksalt-type and a zincblende-type lattice. The SrAlGa is one of the novel half-Heusler compounds due to the thermoelectric and piezoelectric properties. Anindya studied the elastic and electronic properties of half Hesuler alloys including SrAlGa using a local density approximation (LDA). In this Letter, we use an ab initio method to predict the thermoelectric response and related properties of SrAlGa. Although SrAlGa is an important material, there have not yet been many works carried out on its structural, elastic, acoustic, electronic, chemical bonding, optical and thermoelectric properties

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Why is it important?

Half-Heusler compounds are important for spintronic applications. Many half Heusler compounds, which have a small band gap, are important for thermoelectric applications. One of the main challenges in materials science is the design of functional and multifunctional materials, in which large responses are originated by applied fields and stresses. The materials have attracted a great deal of attention because they can display topological properties or be modified for applications in spintronic devices and high-performance thermoelectrics. The half-Heusler family is regarded as being especially versatile as it displays wide ranges of functionality, lattice constants, and band gaps

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