Why are Clathrates Good Candidates for Thermoelectric Materials?

Clathrates are periodic solids in which tetrahedrally coordinated atoms form cages that surround a metal atom. We examine Slack's suggestion that the metal atoms scatter phonons but not electrons, thus lowering the thermal but not the electric conductivity. If this is true, as transport measure...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of solid state chemistry 2000-02, Vol.149 (2), p.455-458
Main Authors: Iversen, Bo B., Palmqvist, Anders E.C., Cox, David E., Nolas, George S., Stucky, Galen D., Blake, Nick P., Metiu, Horia
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Condensed matter: electronic structure, electrical, magnetic, and optical properties
Conductivity phenomena in semiconductors and insulators
Electronic transport in condensed matter
Exact sciences and technology
Physics
Thermoelectric and thermomagnetic effects
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Summary:Clathrates are periodic solids in which tetrahedrally coordinated atoms form cages that surround a metal atom. We examine Slack's suggestion that the metal atoms scatter phonons but not electrons, thus lowering the thermal but not the electric conductivity. If this is true, as transport measurements indicate, these compounds are promising thermoelectric materials.
ISSN:0022-4596
1095-726X
DOI:10.1006/jssc.1999.8534