title: Understanding Phonon Scattering by Nanoprecipitates in Potassium-Doped Lead Chalcogenides.
abstract: We present a comprehensive experimental and theoretical study of phonon scattering by nanoprecipitates in potassium-doped PbTe, PbSe, and PbS. We highlight the role of the precipitate size distribution measured by microscopy, whose tuning allows for thermal conductivities lower than the limit achievable with a single size. The correlation between the size distribution and the contributions to thermal conductivity from phonons in different frequency ranges provides a physical basis to the experimentally measured thermal conductivities, and a criterion to estimate the lowest achievable thermal conductivity. The results have clear implications for efficiency enhancements in nanostructured bulk thermoelectrics.
authors.affiliation: Guangxi Key Laboratory for Relativistic Astrophysics, Department of Physics, Guangxi University , Nanning 530004, P. R. China.|Frontier Institute of Science and Technology, and State Key Laboratory for Mechanical Behavior of Materials, Xi'an Jiaotong University , 710054, Xi'an, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Zhao
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Frontier Institute of Science and Technology, and State Key Laboratory for Mechanical Behavior of Materials, Xi'an Jiaotong University , 710054, Xi'an, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Xiaolong
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1887-223X
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Frontier Institute of Science and Technology, and State Key Laboratory for Mechanical Behavior of Materials, Xi'an Jiaotong University , 710054, Xi'an, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Dan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Feng
authors.affiliation: Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National University of Singapore , 117546, Singapore.
authors.forename: Haijun
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: LITEN, CEA-Grenoble, 17 rue des Martyrs, 38054 Cedex 9, Grenoble, France.
authors.forename: Jesus
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Carrete
authors.affiliation: School of Materials Science and Engineering, Beihang University , Beijing 100191, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Li-Dong
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1247-4345
authors.initials: LD
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: International Center for Dielectric Research, Xi'an Jiaotong University , Xi'an 710049, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Chao
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: International Center for Dielectric Research, Xi'an Jiaotong University , Xi'an 710049, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Shaodong
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.affiliation: Guangxi Key Laboratory for Relativistic Astrophysics, Department of Physics, Guangxi University , Nanning 530004, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Biaolin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Peng
authors.affiliation: International Center for Dielectric Research, Xi'an Jiaotong University , Xi'an 710049, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Guang
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, South University of Science and Technology of China , Shenzhen 518055, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Jiaqing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: He
keywords: lead chalcogenide; phonon; precipitate interface; thermal transport; thermoelectric