Advancing very high temperature thermoelectric performance of Yb4Sb3 through dual-substitutions: a combined experimental and theoretical study

Abstract

This article reports and discusses the synthesis and the transport properties of the binary rare-earth antimonide Yb₄Sb₃ and some of its substituted derivatives. Specifically, co-substitution of La on the Yb site and Bi on the Sb site was attempted to further improve its thermoelectric properties. The solubility limit of the La_xYb_4−xSb_2.8Bi_0.2 solid solution was established to be x = 0.3. Subsequent synthesis of x = 0.1, 0.2, and 0.3 compositions at a larger scale enabled their transport property evaluation and the comparison with Yb₄Sb₃. The Seebeck coefficient of the substituted compounds was found to be similar to the pristine material from 373 to 1273 K, while an increase in resistivity was observed. Detailed DFT calculations confirmed that the Seebeck coefficient may not be significantly improved by La substitutions and explained the p-type conducting behavior at high temperatures of the title compounds. The thermal conductivity of La_0.2Yb_3.8Sb_2.8Bi_0.2 was found to be reduced by about 30% compared to that of the binary Yb₄Sb₃. The figure of merit zT of the parent Yb₄Sb₃ compound reaches 0.5 at 1273 K. While dual substitutions have not permitted a significant improvement in the figure of merit mostly due to a resistivity increase, this study provides a stepping stone for further optimization.