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Exploration of 17-electron Ti<sub>x</sub>Co<sub>y</sub>Sn<sub>z</sub> thin film spreads for thermoelectric properties via combinatorial approach

ORAL

Abstract

Most of the known thermoelectric materials are 18-electron systems owing to their compositional stability. However, the synthesis of a 17-electron thermodynamically stable thermoelectric material is extremely important, especially when many predictions confirm that they might have important thermoelectric properties. In the present work, we deposited TixCoySnz (a 17-electron system) thin films using a combinatorial sputtering approach because it provides an efficient route to synthesize a wide range of stoichiometries on a single substrate, enabling its rapid screening. These films consisted of both half Heusler (HH) and full Heusler (FH) domains of TixCoySnz in the combi matrix, with a total of 177 different compositions. Their compositional, structural, and electrical properties were characterized using high-throughput characterization techniques. The power factor analysis shows that instead of exact HH or FH composition, better electrical properties are found near the slightly Co and Ti-rich regions. High throughput synchrotron measurements of these spreads reveal an overall high crystallinity, with large single-phase domains around HH and FH regions. We report the highest Seebeck coefficient of ~-39.60 mV/K with atomic ratios of ~Ti0.37Co0.34Sn0.29, near the HH composition. Whereas the highest power factor was ~4.72 mW/cmK2 for atomic ratios of ~Ti0.19Co0.67Sn0.14, which surprisingly is near the FH composition.

Presenters

  • Rohit Pant

    University of Maryland, 1. Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, University of Maryland College Park, University of Maryland, College Park

Authors

  • Rohit Pant

    University of Maryland, 1. Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, University of Maryland College Park, University of Maryland, College Park

  • Dylan J Kirsch

    1. Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 2. National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland, University of Maryland, College Park

  • Suchismita Sarker

    3. Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, California, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource

  • Nathan Johnson

    3. Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, California

  • Thomas Wynn

    3. Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, California

  • Joshua Martin

    2. National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland

  • Apurva Mehta

    3. Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, California, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource

  • Ichiro Takeuchi

    University of Maryland, College Park, 1. Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland