PROJECT DETAILS
Name: Ternary skutterudites for thermoelectric applications: from bulks to thin films
Sponsor: Czech Science Foundation
Principal investigator: Ing. Jiří Navrátil, CSc.
Co-principal investigator: Prof., Ing. Miroslav Jelínek, DrSc.; Jarmila Walachová, Ph.D.
Member: Sergey Leshkov, MSc.; Jan Lorinčík, Ph.D.; Václav Malina, MSc.; Jan Vaniš, Ph.D.; Roman Yatskiv, Ph.D.; Radek Zeipl, Ph.D.; Jiří Zelinka, MSc.
From: 2007-01-01
To: 2009-12-31
The goal of the project is to prepare semiconducting compounds with skutterudite structure (CoAs3) which recently have become one of the most promising materials utilizable for new, more efficient thermoelectric applications, i.e. for direct conversion of thermal energy into electrical (thermoelectric generators) and vice versa (thermoelectric cooling modules). Their unique complex structure enables to lower their lattice thermal conductivity (λL) without detrimental distinct worsening of their electronic properties and to satisfy in this way one of the basic requirement for new thermoelectric materials. Two strategies will be employed in lowering of λL - preparation of ternary skutterudites and filling of empty voids of their structure with suitable atoms. Prepared skutterudites will be characterized by measurement of their thermoelectric properties. Further other possibility of lowering of λL will be studied - preparation of their very thin films by pulsed laser deposition. Optimal conditions of preparation of these thin films will be studied and the prepared layers will be characterized by measurement of their thermoelectric properties as well.