Enhanced Low-Temperature Thermoelectric Performance in (PbSe)<sub>1+δ</sub>(VSe<sub>2</sub>)<sub>1</sub> Heterostructures due to Highly Correlated Electrons in Charge Density Waves.

Wang, Yu; Hamann, Danielle M; Cordova, Dmitri Leo M; Chen, Jihan; Wang, Bo; Shen, Lang; Cai, Zhi; Shi, Haotian et al. · Nano Lett · 2020

basic_science · Level V

Where this comes from

Abstract

We explore the effect of charge density wave (CDW) on the in-plane thermoelectric transport properties of (PbSe)<sub>1+δ</sub>(VSe<sub>2</sub>)<sub>1</sub> and (PbSe)<sub>1+δ</sub>(VSe<sub>2</sub>)<sub>2</sub> heterostructures. In (PbSe)<sub>1+δ</sub>(VSe<sub>2</sub>)<sub>1</sub> we observe an abrupt 86% increase in the Seebeck coefficient, 245% increase in the power factor, and a slight decrease in resistivity over the CDW transition. This behavior is not observed in (PbSe)<sub>1+δ</sub>(VSe<sub>2</sub>)<sub>2</sub> and is rather unusual compared to the general trend observed in other materials. The abrupt transition causes a deviation from the Mott relationship through correlated electron states. Raman spectra of the (PbSe)<sub>1+δ</sub>(VSe<sub>2</sub>)<sub>1</sub> material show the emergence of additional peaks below the CDW transition temperature associated with VSe<sub>2</sub> material. Temperature-dependent in-plane X-ray diffraction (XRD) spectra show a change in the in-plane thermal expansion of VSe<sub>2</sub> in (PbSe)<sub>1+δ</sub>(VSe<sub>2</sub>)<sub>1</sub> due to lattice distortion. The increase in the power factor and decrease in the resistivity due to CDW suggest a potential mechanism for enhancing the thermoelectric performance at the low temperature region.