High-performance flexible p-type Ce-filled Fe<sub>3</sub>CoSb<sub>12</sub> skutterudite thin film for medium-to-high-temperature applications.

Li, Dou; Shi, Xiao-Lei; Zhu, Jiaxi; Cao, Tianyi; Ma, Xiao; Li, Meng; Han, Zhuokun; Feng, Zhenyu et al. · Nat Commun · 2024

basic_science · Level V

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Abstract

P-type Fe<sub>3</sub>CoSb<sub>12</sub>-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<sup>-1</sup> K<sup>-2</sup> 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 Fe<sub>3</sub>CoSb<sub>12</sub>-based flexible device exhibits a power density of 135.7 µW cm<sup>-2</sup> 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.