Endotaxial Intergrowth of Copper Telluride in GeTe-Rich Germanium Antimony Tellurides Leads to High Thermoelectric Performance

In composite materials with nominal compositions Cu2Ge x Sb2Te x+4 (11 ≤ x ≤ 18, i.e., between Cu6.7Ge36.7Sb6.7Te50 and Cu4.5Ge40.9Sb4.5Te50), precipitates consisting of copper tellurides are endotaxially intergrown in a matrix of Cu-doped germanium antimony tellurides. The precipitates as well as the matrix material undergo various phase transitions as shown by temperature-dependent X-ray diffraction and X-ray absorption contrast imaging. Eventually, the precipitates dissolve in the matrix at temperatures exceeding 580 °C. The temperature-dependent behavior was also traced by photoemission electron microscopy up to 460 °C. At high temperatures, the thermoelectric properties are superior to those of pure germanium antimony tellurides obtained by comparable syntheses; a maximal zT value of 1.83 for Cu2Ge16Sb2Te20 is reached at 500 °C. The application of an effective mass model reveals optimal charge carrier concentrations for all three compositions investigated. The p-type Cu2Ge16Sb2Te20 material was used in combination with PbTe:In (n-type) to construct a thermoelectric module. Concludingly, the measurement of the Hall effect that suggests no significant changes in Cu-doping levels of the matrix with temperature application of grain boundary optimization and a temperature-induced reset of the microstructure are proposed as strategies for overcoming material degradation upon applying electrical currents.