Thermoelectrics is the reversible process which transforms a temperature gradient across a material into an external voltage through a phenomenon known as the Seebeck effect. This has resulted in niche applications such as solid-state cooling for electronic and optoelectronic devices which exclude the need for a coolant or any moving parts and long-lasting, maintenance-free radioisotope thermoelectric generators used for deep-space exploration. However, the high price and low efficiency of thermoelectric generators have prompted scientists to search for new materials and/or methods to improve the efficiency of the already existing ones. Thermoelectric efficiency is governed by the dimensionless figure of merit š§š, which depends on the electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity and Seebeck coefficient value of the material and has rarely surpassed unity. In order to address these issues, research conducted on early transition metal nitrides spearheaded by cubic scandium nitride (ScN) thin films showed promising results with high power factors close to 3000 Ī¼Wmā1Kā2 at 500 Ā°C. In this thesis, rock-salt cubic chromium nitride (CrN) deposited in the form of thin films by reactive magnetron sputtering was chosen for its large Seebeck coefficient of approximately -200 Ī¼V/K and low thermal conductivity between 2 and 4 Wmā1Kā1. The results show that CrN in single crystal form has a low electrical resistivity below 1 mĪ©cm, a Seebeck coefficient value of -230 Ī¼V/K and a power factor close to 5000 Ī¼Wmā1Kā2 at room temperature. These promising results could lead to CrN based thermoelectric modules which are cheaper and more stable compared to traditional thermoelectric material such as bismuth telluride (Bi2Te3) and lead telluride (PbTe). In addition, the project resulting this thesis was prompted to investigate prospective ternary nitrides equivalent to ScN with (hopefully) better thermoelectric properties. Scandium nitride has a relatively high thermal conductivity value (close to 10 Wmā1Kā1), resulting in a low š§š. A hypothetical ternary equivalent to ScN may have a similar electronic band structure and large power factor, but with a lower thermal conductivity value leading to better thermoelectric properties. Thus the elements magnesium, titanium, zirconium and hafnium were chosen for this purpose. DFT calculations were used to simulate TiMgN2, ZrMgN2 and HfMgN2. The results show the MeMgN2 stoichiometry to be stable, with two rivaling crystal structures: trigonal NaCrS2 and monoclinic LiUN2. / <p>The series name <em>Linkƶping Studies in Science and Technology Licentiate Thesis</em> is incorrect. The correct series name is <em>Linkƶping Studies in Science and Technology Thesis</em>.</p>
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UPSALLA1/oai:DiVA.org:liu-136533 |
| Date | January 2017 |
| Creators | Gharavi, Mohammad Amin |
| Publisher | Linkƶpings universitet, Tunnfilmsfysik, Linkƶpings universitet, Tekniska fakulteten, Linkƶping |
| Source Sets | DiVA Archive at Upsalla University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Licentiate thesis, comprehensive summary, info:eu-repo/semantics/masterThesis, text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
| Relation | Linkƶping Studies in Science and Technology. Thesis, 0280-7971 ; 1774 |
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