Influence of Carbon Nanotubes on the Thermoelectric and Mechanical Properties of Cu2.1Mn0.9SnSe4 Alloy

doi:10.1007/s40195-025-01833-1

Abstract

Abstract:

Quaternary chalcogenides are viewed as a class of potential thermoelectric materials due to their good thermoelectric performance in the medium temperature region. In this work, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) with varying weight percentages are composited into the quaternary chalcogenide Cu_2.1Mn_0.9SnSe₄ (CMTS) using a technique that combines ball-milling and hot-pressing, and the effect of CNTs on the thermoelectric performance of CMTS is investigated. The compositing of CNTs results in an increase in the intrinsic defects of CMTS, thereby enhancing the electrical conductivities of the composited samples. Besides, the addition of CNTs introduces various phonon scattering mechanisms, effectively restraining the lattice thermal conductivities of the composited samples, particularly in the low to medium temperature range. Ultimately, owing to the concurrent optimization of the power factor and thermal conductivity, the x = 0.25 sample achieves a zT value of 0.37 at 673 K. The compositing of highly conductive secondary phase is recognized as a viable approach for the simultaneous enhancement of the thermoelectric properties of materials.

Key words: Thermoelectric, Quaternary chalcogenides, Carbon nanotubes, Compositing

Yuqing Sun, Fulong Liu, Zhihao Li, Panpan Peng, Yujie Zong, Peng Cao, Chunlei Wang, Hongchao Wang. Influence of Carbon Nanotubes on the Thermoelectric and Mechanical Properties of Cu_2.1Mn_0.9SnSe₄ Alloy[J]. Acta Metallurgica Sinica (English Letters), 2025, 38(5): 831-838.

Figures/Tables 7

Fig. 1 a Room-temperature powder XRD patterns of CMTS + x wt% CNTs (x = 0, 0.125, 0.25, 0.5, 1) samples. b Rietveld refinement of x = 0.25 sample

Table 1 Lattice parameters a & b and c, Rietveld parameters (Rp, Rwp and χ2), experimental densities (ρe) and relative densities (ρr) of CMTS + x wt% CNTs (x = 0, 0.125, 0.25, 0.5, 1) samples

Sample	a & b (Å)	c (Å)	R_p	R_wp	χ²	ρ_e (g cm⁻³)	ρ_r (%)
x = 0	5.7603	11.3744	5.23	6.60	2.03	5.43	99.88
x = 0.125	5.7588	11.3797	6.79	8.63	3.33	5.33	98.04
x = 0.25	5.7599	11.3770	5.48	6.99	2.34	5.36	98.69
x = 0.5	5.7598	11.3756	6.04	7.61	2.62	5.30	97.44
x = 1	5.7599	11.3743	5.37	6.95	2.26	5.21	95.82

Fig. 2 Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images of a x = 0 sample and b x = 0.25 sample with a magnification of 5000. SEM image of x = 0.25 sample with a magnification of c 50,000 and d 100,000. e, f EDS result of x = 0.25 sample

Fig. 3 Temperature dependence of a electrical conductivity (σ), b Seebeck coefficient (S), c weighted mobility (μw), d power factor (PF) for CMTS + x wt% CNTs (x = 0, 0.125, 0.25, 0.5, 1) samples

Table 2 Carrier concentration (nH), carrier mobility (μH) and electrical conductivity (σ) of CMTS + x wt% CNTs (x = 0, 0.125, 0.25, 0.5, 1) samples near room temperature

Sample	n_H (10¹⁹ cm⁻³)	μ_H (cm² V⁻¹ s⁻¹)	σ (S cm⁻¹)
x = 0	2.0	41.5	134.2
x = 0.125	5.2	21.7	179.8
x = 0.25	5.4	21.7	187.6
x = 0.5	5.7	21.9	199.8
x = 1	6.1	17.1	167.2

Fig. 4 Temperature dependence of a total thermal conductivity (κtot), b lattice thermal conductivity (κL) and d zT values. c Schematic diagram of phonon scattering mechanism

Fig. 5 Mechanical properties of CMTS + x wt% CNTs (x = 0, 0.125, 0.25, 0.5, 1) samples. a Compressive stress-strain curves. b Compression modulus (Es). c Compressive strength. e Vickers hardness. Comparisons of d compressive strength and f Vickers hardness of x = 0.125 sample with other common chalcogenides

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Influence of Carbon Nanotubes on the Thermoelectric and Mechanical Properties of Cu_2.1Mn_0.9SnSe₄ Alloy

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