Exploring Single Crystals as Promising Thermoelectric Materials

Developing new thermoelectric materials holds promise for converting waste heat into electricity. However, conflicting physical factors challenge their performance assessment. One way to improve their performance is to hinder the lattice from conducting heat through its vibrations while maintaining the heat conduction via the electrons. This can be done by creating cage structures that allow heavy atoms to jiggle. In this study, we report the synthesis of a group of such compounds, using the self-flux method. They all belong to the MM’₂Zn₂₀ family where the transition metals (M and M’) are inside Zn-formed cages. The synthesized crystals were characterized using electron dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and single crystal X-ray diffraction (XRD). Additionally, magnetic measurements were performed to investigate the magnetic properties. Our future plans involve optimizing growth parameters to obtain larger crystals for thermoelectric testing.