Preparation and thermoelectric properties of sintered iodine-containing clathrate compounds Ge38Sb8I8 and Sn38Sb8I8

The iodine-containing cationic type-I clathrates Ge38Sb8I8 and Sn38Sb8I8 were prepared and their thermodynamic properties as well as their thermoelectric properties were investigated. Their atomic displacement parameters were as large as those of anionic clathrates such as Ba8Ga16Ge30 and Cs8Cd4Sn42. The room temperature thermal conductivities of Ge38Sb8I8 and Sn38Sb8I8 were 7 and 12mWcm−1K−1, respectively; these values were as low as that of the above anionic clathrates. Both cationic clathrates had negative Seebeck coefficients; the band gap energies of Ge38Sb8I8 and Sn38Sb8I8 were 1.16 and 0.80eV, respectively.