Nature Communications (May 2024)

High-performance flexible p-type Ce-filled Fe3CoSb12 skutterudite thin film for medium-to-high-temperature applications

  • Dou Li,
  • Xiao-Lei Shi,
  • Jiaxi Zhu,
  • Tianyi Cao,
  • Xiao Ma,
  • Meng Li,
  • Zhuokun Han,
  • Zhenyu Feng,
  • Yixing Chen,
  • Jianyuan Wang,
  • Wei-Di Liu,
  • Hong Zhong,
  • Shuangming Li,
  • Zhi-Gang Chen

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-48677-4
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 15, no. 1
pp. 1 – 13

Abstract

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Abstract P-type Fe3CoSb12-based skutterudite thin films are successfully fabricated, exhibiting high thermoelectric performance, stability, and flexibility at medium-to-high temperatures, based on preparing custom target materials and employing advanced pulsed laser deposition techniques to address the bonding challenge between the thin films and high-temperature flexible polyimide substrates. Through the optimization of fabrication processing and nominal doping concentration of Ce, the thin films show a power factor of >100 μW m−1 K−2 and a ZT close to 0.6 at 653 K. After >2000 bending cycle tests at a radius of 4 mm, only a 6 % change in resistivity can be observed. Additionally, the assembled p-type Fe3CoSb12-based flexible device exhibits a power density of 135.7 µW cm−2 under a temperature difference of 100 K with the hot side at 623 K. This work fills a gap in the realization of flexible thermoelectric devices in the medium-to-high-temperature range and holds significant practical application value.