title: Zintl phases for thermoelectric devices.
abstract: By converting waste heat into electricity and improving the efficiency of refrigeration systems, thermoelectric devices could play a significant role in solving today's energy problems. Increasing the thermoelectric efficiency (as measured by the thermoelectric material's figure-of-merit, zT) is critical to the development of this technology. Complex Zintl phases, in particular, make ideal candidates for thermoelectric materials because the necessary "electron-crystal, phonon-glass" properties can be engineered with an understanding of the Zintl chemistry. A recent example is the discovery that Yb(14)MnSb(11), a transition metal Zintl compound, has twice the zT as the material currently in use at NASA. This perspective outlines a strategy to discover new high zT materials in Zintl phases, and presents results pointing towards the success of this approach.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of California, One Shields Ave, Davis, CA 95616, USA.
authors.forename: Susan M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Kauzlarich
authors.forename: Shawna R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.forename: G Jeffrey
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Snyder