Liquid-Solid Interface Reactions Drive Enhanced Thermoelectric Performance in AgSe.

AgSe is a promising n-type thermoelectric material, but its performance is limited by excessive carrier concentration, compositional inhomogeneity, and phase instability, challenges rooted in a narrow homogeneity range and uncontrolled Ag diffusion in the superionic phase. Here, we address these issues by exploiting liquid-solid interface reactions using CdSe complexes that remove surface excess Ag to yield stoichiometric AgSe and generate CdSe nanodomains that inhibit Ag diffusion and constrain grain growth. The resulting AgSe-CdSe nanocomposites exhibit a reproducible, stable figure of merit () of 1.

Solution-Processed Inorganic Thermoelectric Materials: Opportunities and Challenges.

Thermoelectric technology requires synthesizing complex materials where not only the crystal structure but also other structural features such as defects, grain size and orientation, and interfaces must be controlled. To date, conventional solid-state techniques are unable to provide this level of control. Herein, we present a synthetic approach in which dense inorganic thermoelectric materials are produced by the consolidation of well-defined nanoparticle powders.

Surface Functionalization of Surfactant-Free Particles: A Strategy to Tailor the Properties of Nanocomposites for Enhanced Thermoelectric Performance.

The broad implementation of thermoelectricity requires high-performance and low-cost materials. One possibility is employing surfactant-free solution synthesis to produce nanopowders. We propose the strategy of functionalizing "naked" particles' surface by inorganic molecules to control the nanostructure and, consequently, thermoelectric performance.

Surface Functionalization of Surfactant-Free Particles: A Strategy to Tailor the Properties of Nanocomposites for Enhanced Thermoelectric Performance.

The broad implementation of thermoelectricity requires high-performance and low-cost materials. One possibility is employing surfactant-free solution synthesis to produce nanopowders. We propose the strategy of functionalizing "naked" particles' surface by inorganic molecules to control the nanostructure and, consequently, thermoelectric performance.

The Importance of Surface Adsorbates in Solution-Processed Thermoelectric Materials: The Case of SnSe.

Solution synthesis of particles emerges as an alternative to prepare thermoelectric materials with less demanding processing conditions than conventional solid-state synthetic methods. However, solution synthesis generally involves the presence of additional molecules or ions belonging to the precursors or added to enable solubility and/or regulate nucleation and growth. These molecules or ions can end up in the particles as surface adsorbates and interfere in the material properties.

Exploiting the Lability of Metal Halide Perovskites for Doping Semiconductor Nanocomposites.

Cesium lead halides have intrinsically unstable crystal lattices and easily transform within perovskite and nonperovskite structures. In this work, we explore the conversion of the perovskite CsPbBr into CsPbBr in the presence of PbS at 450 °C to produce doped nanocrystal-based composites with embedded CsPbBr nanoprecipitates. We show that PbBr is extracted from CsPbBr and diffuses into the PbS lattice with a consequent increase in the concentration of free charge carriers.