Intermetallic clathrates have long been of interest for materials science research.
The promise these materials hold for useful applications ranges from thermoelectrics to
photovoltaics and optoelectronics to potentially ultra-hard materials and magnetic cooling
applications. Their unique physical properties are intimately related to their intriguing
structural properties. Thus a fundamental understanding of the chemistry and physics of
inorganic clathrates offers the possibility to assess their potential for use in the various
applications mentioned above.
The purpose of the current work is to expand the current knowledge of the
synthetic routes for obtaining clathrate materials, their structural, chemical, and physical
properties, particularly those that from in the type I, II and VIII crystal structures. New
synthesis routes are presented and used for preparation of single crystals of Na 8Si46 and
Na 24Si136. Single-crystal X-ray analysis, and resistivity, Seebeck coefficient and thermal
conductivity measurements are presented. In addition, two "inverse" clathrates with
compositions Sn 24P19.3Br8 and Sn17Zn7P22Br8 have been characterized in terms of their
transport properties. Since the magnetic refrigeration based on the magnetocaloric effect
is a topic of great interest, type VIII Eu 8Ga16Ge30 clathrates are also explored in terms of
their application for magnetic cooling.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:USF/oai:scholarcommons.usf.edu:etd-4864 |
| Date | 12 April 2010 |
| Creators | Stefanoski, Stevce |
| Publisher | Scholar Commons |
| Source Sets | University of South Flordia |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | Graduate Theses and Dissertations |
| Rights | default |
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