Following the discovery of n-type Mg3Sb2−Mg3Bi2 alloys, attempts have been undertaken to optimize their thermoelectric performance because understanding of the properties of this system had been limited due to its novelty. In this thesis, the thermoelectric performance of n-type Mg3Sb2−Mg3Bi2 alloys was systematically investigated and significantly improved. Thorough experimental characterization...
The effect of interfaces in solids on the overall charge transport properties has become a topic of growing importance for energy materials such as thermoelectrics. In some polycrystalline thermoelectric materials, the performance near room temperature is significantly limited due to thermally-activated electrical conductivity near room-temperature, which can be attributed to...