Band and defect engineering in solution-processed nanocrystal building blocks to promote transport properties in nanomaterials: The case of thermoelectric Cu3SbSe4
Article
Xiao, Shanshan, Zhao, Mingjun, Li, Mingquan, Wan, Shanhong, Genç, Aziz, Huang, Lulu, Chen, Lei, Zhang, Yu, Ibanez, Maria, Lim, Khak Ho, Hong, Min, Liu, Yu and Cabot, Andreu. 2025. "Band and defect engineering in solution-processed nanocrystal building blocks to promote transport properties in nanomaterials: The case of thermoelectric Cu3SbSe4." Nano Research. 18 (1). https://doi.org/10.26599/NR.2025.94907072
Article Title | Band and defect engineering in solution-processed nanocrystal building blocks to promote transport properties in nanomaterials: The case of thermoelectric Cu3SbSe4 |
---|---|
ERA Journal ID | 123989 |
Article Category | Article |
Authors | Xiao, Shanshan, Zhao, Mingjun, Li, Mingquan, Wan, Shanhong, Genç, Aziz, Huang, Lulu, Chen, Lei, Zhang, Yu, Ibanez, Maria, Lim, Khak Ho, Hong, Min, Liu, Yu and Cabot, Andreu |
Journal Title | Nano Research |
Journal Citation | 18 (1) |
Article Number | 94907072 |
Number of Pages | 12 |
Year | 2025 |
Publisher | Tsinghua University Press |
Place of Publication | China |
ISSN | 1998-0000 |
1998-0124 | |
Digital Object Identifier (DOI) | https://doi.org/10.26599/NR.2025.94907072 |
Web Address (URL) | https://www.sciopen.com/article/10.26599/NR.2025.94907072 |
Abstract | The development of cost-effective and high-performance thermoelectric (TE) materials faces significant challenges, particularly in improving the properties of promising copper-based TE materials such as Cu3SbSe4, which are limited by their poor electrical conductivity. This study presents a detailed comparative analysis of three strategies to promote the electrical transport properties of Cu3SbSe4 through Sn doping: conventional Sn atomic doping, surface treatment with SnSe molecular complexes, and blending with SnSe nanocrystals to form nanocomposites, all followed by annealing and hot pressing under identical conditions. Our results reveal that a surface treatment using SnSe molecular complexes significantly enhances TE performance over atomic doping and nanocomposite formation, achieving a power factor of 1.1 mW·m−1·K−2 and a maximum dimensionless figure of merit zT value of 0.80 at 640 K, representing an excellent performance among Cu3SbSe4-based materials produced via solution-processing methods. This work highlights the effectiveness of surface engineering in optimizing the transport properties of nanostructured materials, demonstrating the versatility and cost-efficiency of solution-based technologies in the development of advanced nanostructured materials for application in the field of TE among others. |
Keywords | band engineering; Cu3SbSe4; nanocrystal; solution processing; surface-treatment; thermoelectricity |
Contains Sensitive Content | Does not contain sensitive content |
ANZSRC Field of Research 2020 | 401605. Functional materials |
Byline Affiliations | Hefei University of Technology, China |
Cardiff University, United Kingdom | |
Centre for Future Materials | |
Zhejiang University, Wenzhou, China | |
Institute of Science and Technology Austria, Austria | |
Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China | |
Quzhou University, China | |
School of Engineering | |
Catalonia Institute for Energy Research (IREC), Spain | |
Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies (ICREA), Spain |
Permalink -
https://research.usq.edu.au/item/zx129/band-and-defect-engineering-in-solution-processed-nanocrystal-building-blocks-to-promote-transport-properties-in-nanomaterials-the-case-of-thermoelectric-cu3sbse4
Download files
Published Version
1
total views0
total downloads1
views this month0
downloads this month