Attaining high mid-temperature performance in (Bi,Sb)2Te3 thermoelectric materials via synergistic optimization

We herein report a synergistic optimization procedure that combines point defect engineering, band structure engineering and multiscale microstructuring in p-type (Bi,Sb)2Te3 thermoelectric materials by Indium doping and hot deformation. As a result, a peak value of zT ~1.4 was attained in Bi0.3Sb1.625In0.075Te3 at 500 K, along with a state-of-the-art average zT av of ~1.3 between 400 and 600 K. These results demonstrate the efficacy of the multi-synergies that can also be applied to optimize other thermoelectric materials.