Ultrahigh transverse thermoelectric power factor in flexible Weyl semimetal WTe<sub>2</sub>.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 35798731.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/s41467-022-31372-7 and PMC identifier 9262886.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
Topological semimetals are well known for their interesting physical properties, while their mechanical properties have rarely received attention. With the increasing demand for flexible electronics, we explore the great potential of the van der Waals bonded Weyl semimetal WTe<sub>2</sub> for flexible thermoelectric applications. We find that WTe<sub>2</sub> single crystals have an ultrahigh Nernst power factor of ~3 Wm<sup>-1</sup>K<sup>-2</sup>, which outperforms the conventional Seebeck power factors of the state-of-the-art thermoelectric semiconductors by 2-3 orders of magnitude. A unique band structure that hosts compensated electrons and holes with extremely high mobilities is the primary mechanism for this huge Nernst power factor. Moreover, a large Ettingshausen signal of ~5 × 10<sup>-5</sup> KA<sup>-1</sup>m is observed at 23.1 K and 9 T. In this work, the combination of the exceptional Nernst-Ettingshausen performance and excellent mechanical transformative ability of WTe<sub>2</sub> would be instructive for flexible micro-/nano-thermoelectric devices.