Structural principles and amorphouslike thermal conductivity of Na-doped Si clathrates
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Date
2000-07Author
Tse, JS
Uehara, K.
Rousseau, R.
Ker, A.
Ratcliffe, CI
White, MA
MacKay, G.
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Show full item recordAbstract
The postulated low thermal conductivity and the possibility of altering the electronic
conductivity of metal-doped clathrates with semiconducting host elements have stimulated great
interest in exploring these compounds as promising thermoelectric materials. The electronic and
thermal properties of the prototypical NaxSi46 system are studied in detail here. It is shown that,
despite the fact that the Na/Si clathrate is metallic, its thermal conductivity resembles that of an
amorphous solid. A theoretical model is developed to rationalize the structural stability of the
peculiar structural topology, and a general scheme for rational design of high efficiency
thermoelectric materials is presented.
Citation
Tse, JS, K. Uehara, R. Rousseau, A. Ker, et al. 2000. "Structural principles and amorphouslike thermal conductivity of Na-doped Si clathrates." Physical Review Letters 85(1): 114-117. Copyright © 2000 American Physical Society.