Enhanced atomic ordering leads to high thermoelectric performance in AgSbTe2

High thermoelectric performance is generally achieved through either electronic structure modulations or phonon scattering enhancements, which often counteract each other. A leap in performance requires innovative strategies that simultaneously optimize electronic and phonon transports. We demonstrate high thermoelectric performance with a near room-temperature figure of merit, ZT ~ 1.5, and a maximum ZT ~ 2.6 at 573 kelvin, by optimizing atomic disorder in cadmium-doped polycrystalline silver antimony telluride (AgSbTe2). Cadmium doping in AgSbTe2 enhances cationic ordering, which simultaneously improves electronic properties by tuning disorder-induced localization of electronic states and reduces lattice thermal conductivity through spontaneous formation of nanoscale (~2 to 4 nanometers) superstructures and coupling of soft vibrations localized within ~1 nanometer around cadmium sites with local strain modulation. The strategy is applicable to most other thermoelectric materials that exhibit inherent atomic disorder.

Cadmium doping for improving the efficiency and stability of carbon-based CsPbIBr2 all-inorganic perovskite solar cells

The all inorganic perovskite CsPbIBr2 is a promising material in photovoltaic (PV) field for its acceptable optical bandgap and favorable air stable phase stability. However, conventional solution processed poor coverage...

Effect of cadmium doping on structural and magnetic studies of Co-Ni ferrites

We report effect of influence of Cd2+ ions on Co-Ni ferrites synthesized by the solid state reaction method. The X-ray diffraction analysis confirmed the cubic spinel phase with crystallite size varies between 20-24 nm. The SEM images show tetrahedral, octahedral, granular, long bulgy structures with variety of sizes. The Raman spectra for samples with x = 0.1 and x = 0.4 shown peaks corresponding to Alg, Eg and T2g which very closely match with NiFe2O4 spectra with slight variation in peak position as an effect of different chemical formula. Magnetic measurements were carried out at room temperature. It is found that substitution influenced the magnetic properties. Saturation magnetization decreased from 52.74 to 32.68 emu.gm-1 and coercivity shown an initial increase and then a continuous decrease, with increase in the Cd2+ substitution. Retentivity is found to be varying between 10.1 emu/gr - 6.21 emu/gr.

The immobilizing polysulfide mechanism of cadmium-doping carbon aerogels via a microtemplate for high performance Li–S batteries

We develop a novel microtemplate strategy to prepare unique carbon aerogels. The designed cathode materials present excellent electrochemical performance.