Year: 2007
Type: article
Abstract: A study of the local atomic structure of the promising thermoelectric material $\ensuremath{\beta}\text{\ensuremath{-}}{\mathrm{Zn}}_{4}{\mathrm{Sb}}_{3}$, using atomic pair distribution function (PDF) analysis of x-ray- and neutron-diffraction data, suggests that the material is nanostructured. The local structure of the $\ensuremath{\beta}$ phase closely resembles that of the low-temperature $\ensuremath{\alpha}$ phase. The $\ensuremath{\alpha}$ structure contains ordered zinc interstitial atoms which are not long range ordered in the $\ensuremath{\beta}$ phase. A rough estimate of the domain size from a visual inspection of the PDF is $\ensuremath{\lesssim}10\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{nm}$. It is probable that the nanoscale domains found in this study play an important role in the exceptionally low thermal conductivity of $\ensuremath{\beta}\text{\ensuremath{-}}{\mathrm{Zn}}_{4}{\mathrm{Sb}}_{3}$.
Source: Physical Review B
Institutions: Michigan State University, California Institute of Technology
Language: English
Subfield: Materials Chemistry
Field: Materials Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W1601617705