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Skutterudite thermoelectrics: What can we learn from theory?

Skutterudite thermoelectrics: What can we learn from theory?

Presented at the 2021 Midlands Computational Chemistry Meeting.

Jonathan Skelton

January 07, 2021
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  1. Dr Jonathan Skelton
    Department of Chemistry, University of Manchester
    ([email protected])
    Skutterudite thermoelectrics:
    What can we learn from theory?

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  2. The group
    Dr Jonathan Skelton MCCM Jan 2021 | Slide 2
    Jonathan
    (me)
    Ioanna
    (PhD)
    Ben
    (MChem)
    Jianqin
    (Former MSc)
    Jiayi
    (Former MChem)
    Matt
    (PhD)
    Sophie
    (MChem)

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  3. Thermoelectrics: motivation
    Dr Jonathan Skelton MCCM Jan 2021 | Slide 3
    34 %
    26 %
    19 %
    18 %
    3 %
    1000 MW nuclear power plant:
    o 650 MW waste heat
    o 3 % ≈ 20 MW ≈ 50,000 homes
    300-500 W from exhaust gases:
    o 2 % lower fuel consumption
    o 2.4 Mt reduction in CO2
    Thermoelectric generators allow waste
    heat to be recovered as electricity
    TEGs with ~3 % energy recovery ( = 1) are
    considered industrially viable
    1. Provisional UK greenhouse gas emissions national statistics (published June 2020)
    2. EPSRC Thermoelectric Network Roadmap (2018)

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  4. Thermoelectrics:
    Dr Jonathan Skelton
    =
    2
    ele
    + lat

    - Seebeck coefficient
    - electrical conductivity
    lat
    - lattice thermal conductivity
    ele
    - electronic thermal conductivity
    G. Tan et al., Chem. Rev. 116 (19), 12123 (2016)
    MCCM Jan 2021 | Slide 4

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  5. Thermoelectrics:
    Dr Jonathan Skelton
    Phonons are generated at the hot side of the material and transport energy to the cold side
    MCCM Jan 2021 | Slide 5

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  6. Phonon glass electron crystal
    Dr Jonathan Skelton
    =
    2
    ele
    + lat

    - Seebeck coefficient
    - electrical conductivity
    lat
    - lattice thermal conductivity
    ele
    - electronic thermal conductivity
    Phonon scattering by
    “rattler” filler atoms
    Electron transport through
    crystalline host framework
    MCCM Jan 2021 | Slide 6
    G. A. Slack in CRC Handbook of Thermoelectrics (1995)

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  7. Filled Skutterudites
    Dr Jonathan Skelton
    Composition
    CoSb3
    0.05 (773 K)
    Ni0.3
    Co3.7
    Sb12
    0.52 (773 K)
    Na0.48
    Co3
    Sb12
    1.25 (800 K)
    Sr0.16
    Tb0.03
    Co4
    Sb11.82
    1.32 (850 K)
    Ba0.08
    La0.05
    Yb0.04
    Co4
    Sb12
    1.7 (850 K)
    Yb0.2
    Ba0.1
    Al0.1
    Ga0.1
    In0.1
    La0.05
    Eu0.05
    Co4
    Sb12
    1.2 (800 K)
    Ce0.12
    Fe0.71
    Co3.29
    Sb12
    0.8 (750 K)
    D. T. Morelli et al., Phys. Rev. B 51, 9622 (1995)
    Y. Lei et al., J. Mater. Sci. Mater. Electron. 30, 5929 (2019)
    Y. Z. Pei et al., Appl. Phys. Lett. 95, 042101 (2009)
    S. Q. Bai et al., Appl. Phys. A 100, 1109 (2010)
    MCCM Jan 2021 | Slide 7
    X. Shi et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc. 133, 7837 (2011)
    S. Zhang et al., J. Alloys Compd. 814, 152272 (2020)
    X. F. Tang et al., J. Mater. Sci. 36, 5435 (2001)

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  8. “Toy model” systems
    Dr Jonathan Skelton
    Filler
    [amu]
    [pm]
    He 4.0026 31
    Ne 20.180 38
    Ar 39.948 71
    Kr 83.798 88
    Xe 131.29 108
    Noble gases are chemically inert (closed shell, unlikely to reduce/oxidise host framework) and
    are likely closest it is possible to get to a “hard sphere” filler
    MCCM Jan 2021 | Slide 8
    J. Tang and J. M. Skelton, J. Phys.: Condens. Matter (accepted), DOI: 10.1088/1361-648X/abd8b8

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  9. Modelling
    Dr Jonathan Skelton
    A. Togo et al., Phys. Rev. B 91, 094306 (2015)
    latt
    () =
    1
    0



    ()


    ()
    The simplest model for latt
    is the relaxation time approximation (RTA) - a closed solution to the
    phonon Boltzmann transport equations
    Modal heat capacity
    Mode group velocity
    λ

    Average over phonon
    modes λ
    Phonon MFP
    Mode lifetime
    λ
    =
    1
    2Γλ

    =


    MCCM Jan 2021 | Slide 9

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  10. Pristine CoSb3
    :
    Dr Jonathan Skelton MCCM Jan 2021 | Slide 10

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  11. Filled XCo8
    Sb24
    :
    Dr Jonathan Skelton MCCM Jan 2021 | Slide 11
    Filler

    ( = 300 K)
    [W m-1 K-1]
    - 9.98
    He 9.11 (-9 %)
    Ne 8.86 (-11 %)
    Ar 9.17 (-8 %)
    Kr 8.77 (-12 %)
    Xe 8.49 (-15 %)

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  12. How do the fillers suppress
    ?
    Dr Jonathan Skelton
    Consider again the RTA model for latt
    :
    latt
    =
    1
    0






    Two mechanisms through which rattlers can affect latt
    :
    1. Reduction of
    - avoided crossings
    2. Reduction of
    - resonant scattering
    These are not necessarily mutually exclusive - both can be active in the same material
    MCCM Jan 2021 | Slide 12
    E. S. Toberer et al., J. Mater. Chem. 21 (40), 15843 (2011)

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  13. Avoided crossings
    Dr Jonathan Skelton MCCM Jan 2021 | Slide 13

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  14. Avoided crossings
    Dr Jonathan Skelton
    YbFe4
    Sb12
    MCCM Jan 2021 | Slide 14
    Ba8
    Ga16
    Ge30
    (inorganic clathrate)
    M. Christensen et al., Nat. Mater. 7, 811 (2008)
    W. Li and N. Mingo, Phys. Rev. B 91, 144304 (2015)

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  15. Resonant scattering
    Dr Jonathan Skelton
    Resonant scattering is usually defined as a linewidth (inverse lifetime) derived from a model for
    “one-phonon scattering due to force-constant changes” of the form:
    −1 = ෍


    22

    2 − 2 2
    +

    22
    MCCM Jan 2021 | Slide 15
    Schwartz and Walker, Phys. Rev. B 155, 959 (1967)

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  16. The rattling frequency
    Dr Jonathan Skelton
    XX, = Γ =
    1
    X


    X0, X′
    The phonon frequencies are obtained by constructing and diagonalising the dynamical
    matrix () for a given phonon wavevector
    A good conceptual definition of “rattling” is to consider the filler atom moving inside a rigid
    host framework at = Γ = 0 0 0
    The frequency can be obtained by diagonalising a 3 × 3 () from the “self” force constants
    Filler

    [amu]

    [eV Å-2]


    [THz]
    He 4.0026 1.005 5.960
    Ne 20.180 2.316 4.022
    Ar 39.948 6.410 4.745
    Kr 83.798 8.643 3.798
    Xe 131.29 12.35 3.613
    MCCM Jan 2021 | Slide 16

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  17. The rattling frequency
    Dr Jonathan Skelton MCCM Jan 2021 | Slide 17

    View Slide


  18. vs.
    : the CRTA model
    Dr Jonathan Skelton
    Consider again the RTA model:
    latt
    =
    1
    0



    =
    1
    0






    Replace the
    with a constant lifetime (relaxation time) CRTA defined as follows:
    latt
    CRTA
    =
    1
    0




    =
    1
    0





    latt

    1
    0





    × CRTA
    HA
    AH
    HA AH
    MCCM Jan 2021 | Slide 18

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  19. vs.
    : the CRTA model
    Dr Jonathan Skelton
    Replace the
    with a constant lifetime (relaxation time) CRTA defined as follows:
    latt

    1
    0





    × CRTA
    MCCM Jan 2021 | Slide 19

    View Slide


  20. vs.
    : the CRTA model
    Dr Jonathan Skelton
    The calculated rattling frequencies

    X
    suggest that most of the fillers
    introduce states among the CoSb3
    optic modes
    These account for ~20 % of the
    overall latt
    in CoSb3
    , so the impact
    of these fillers is somewhat limited -
    max. reduction of 15 % in
    XeCo8
    Sb24
    MCCM Jan 2021 | Slide 20

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  21. A “thought experiment”
    Dr Jonathan Skelton
    We defined a rattling frequency for the noble gas fillers X based on the XX, = Γ :
    XX, = Γ =
    1
    X


    X0, X′
    What happens to latt
    if we artificially change the X
    while keeping the fixed?
    MCCM Jan 2021 | Slide 21

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  22. A “thought experiment”
    Dr Jonathan Skelton
    Lowering the ሚ
    X
    into the acoustic region reduces the λ
    and the group velocities →
    considerably larger reduction of latt
    MCCM Jan 2021 | Slide 22

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  23. Current research: molecular fillers
    Dr Jonathan Skelton MCCM Jan 2021 | Slide 23

    View Slide

  24. Why molecular fillers...?
    Dr Jonathan Skelton
    A. Gold-Parker et al., PNAS 115, 11905 (2018)
    MCCM Jan 2021 | Slide 24

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  25. Why molecular fillers...?
    Dr Jonathan Skelton MCCM Jan 2021 | Slide 25

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  26. Three-phonon scattering
    Dr Jonathan Skelton
    In the RTA model, the
    are calculated by considering three-phonon scattering processes:
    λ′
    λ′′
    λ
    λ
    λ′
    λ′′
    λ
    λ′′
    λ′
    Collision/Absorption Decay/Emission
    MCCM Jan 2021 | Slide 26

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  27. Why molecular fillers...?
    Dr Jonathan Skelton MCCM Jan 2021 | Slide 27

    View Slide

  28. Why molecular fillers...?
    Dr Jonathan Skelton MCCM Jan 2021 | Slide 28

    View Slide

  29. Why molecular fillers...?
    Dr Jonathan Skelton
    Trans
    0
    Rot
    MCCM Jan 2021 | Slide 29

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  30. Summary
    Dr Jonathan Skelton
    Filled CoSb3
    Skutterudites are archetypal “phonon glass electron crystal” materials
    Noble-gas filled XCo8
    Sb24
    systems (X = He-Xe) are a good “toy model” to investigate how fillers
    suppress the thermal transport
    Possible to calculate a rattling frequency ሚ
    X
    from the harmonic force constants - shows a
    competition between the mass of the filler atoms and how strongly they interact with the
    framework
    A CRTA decomposition of the latt
    shows that the main impact of the fillers is on the group
    velocity λ
    of the optic modes, leading to a maximum reduction of 15 %
    Further “thought experiments” show that reducing the ሚ
    X
    to the acoustic mode frequencies
    leads to a sharp reduction in latt
    by reducing the λ

    X
    appears to be a good predictor of the effect of the filler on the latt
    - possibly useful for
    screening
    Currently looking at whether the alternative phonon scattering mechanism in MAPbI3
    could
    potentially work for Skutterudites with molecular fillers
    MCCM Jan 2021 | Slide 30

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  31. Acknowledgements
    Dr Jonathan Skelton MCCM Jan 2021 | Slide 31

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  32. These slides are available on Speaker Deck:
    http://bit.ly/3hTtpJY

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