• 한국세라믹학회지
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• 제47권1호
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• pp.54-60
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• 2010

This paper shortly reviews our recent work on filled skutterudites, which are considered to be one of the most promising thermoelectric (TE) materials due to their excellent power factors and relatively low thermal conductivities. The filled skutterudite system also provides a platform for studying void filling physics/chemistry in compounds with intrinsic lattice voids. By using ab initio calculations and thermodynamic analysis, our group has made progresses in understanding the filling fraction limit (FFL) for single fillers in $CoSb_3$, and ultra-high FFLs in a few alkali-metal-filled $CoSb_3$ have been predicted and then been confirmed experimentally. FFLs in multiple-element-filled $CoSb_3$ are also investigated and anonymous filling behavior is found in a few specific systems. The calculated and measured FFLs, in both single and multiple-filled $CoSb_3$ systems, show good accordance so far. The thermal transport properties can be understood qualitatively by a phonon resonance scattering model, and it seems that a scaling rule may exist between the lattice thermal resistivity and the resonance frequency of filler atoms in filled system. Even though a few things become clear now, there are still many unsolved issues that call for further work.

• 한국재료학회지
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• 제16권9호
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• pp.529-532
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• 2006

Sn-filled $Co_8Sb_{24}$ skutterudites were synthesized by the encapsulated induction melting process. Single ${\delta}-phase$ was successfully obtained by subsequent annealing and confirmed by X-ray diffraction analysis. Temperature dependences of Seebeck coefficient, electrical resistivity and thermal conductivity were examined from 300 K to 700 K. The positive Seebeck coefficient confirmed the p-type conductivity of the Sn-filled $Co_8Sb_{24}$. Electrical resistivity increased with increasing temperature, which shows that the Sn-filled $Co_8Sb_{24}$ skutterudite is a highly degenerate semiconductor. Thermal conductivity was reduced by Sn-filling because the filler atoms acted as phonon scattering centers in the skutterudite lattice. Thermoelectric figure of merit was enhanced by Sn filling and its optimum filling content was considered to be $z{\leq}0.5$ in the $Sn_zCo_8Sb_{24}$ system.

• 대한금속재료학회지
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• 제56권11호
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• pp.822-828
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• 2018

P-type Ce/Yb-filled skutterudites were synthesized, and their charge transport and thermoelectric properties were investigated with partial double filling and charge compensation. In the case of $(Ce_{1-z}Yb_z)_{0.8}Fe_4Sb_{12}$ without Co substitution, the marcasite ($FeSb_2$) phase formed alongside the skutterudite phase, but the generation of the marcasite phase was inhibited by increasing Co concentration. The electrical conductivity decreased with increasing temperature, exhibiting degenerate semiconductor behavior. The Hall and Seebeck coefficients were positive, which confirmed that the specimens were p-type semiconductors with holes as the major carriers. The carrier concentration decreased as the concentration of Ce and Co increased, which led to decreased electrical conductivity and increased Seebeck coefficient. The thermal conductivity decreased due to a reduction in electronic thermal conductivity via Co substitution, and due to decreased lattice thermal conductivity via double filling of Ce and Yb. $(Ce_{0.25}Yb_{0.75})_{0.8}Fe_{3.5}Co_{0.5}Sb_{12}$ exhibited the greatest dimensionless figure of merit (ZT = 0.66 at 823 K).

• 한국전기전자재료학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국전기전자재료학회 2007년도 추계학술대회 논문집
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• pp.83-84
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• 2007

Sn-filled and Ni-doped $CoSb_3$ skutterudites were prepared by encapsulated induction melting, and their filling and doping effects on thermoelectric properties were investigated. Single phase ${\delta}-CoSb_3$ was successfully obtained by encapsulated induction melting and subsequent heat treatment at 823K for 5 days. Nickel atoms acted as electron donors by substituting cobalt atoms. Thermoelectric properties were remarkably improved by Sn filling and Ni doping.

• 한국전기전자재료학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국전기전자재료학회 2007년도 추계학술대회 논문집
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• pp.126-127
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• 2007

Sn-filled and Fe-doped $CoSb_3$ skutterudites were synthesized by encapsulated induction melting. Single ${\delta}$-phase was successfully obtained by subsequent annealing and confirmed by X-ray diffraction analysis. Temperature dependences of Seebeck coefficient, electrical resistivity and thermal conductivity were examined from 300 K to 700 K. The positive Seebeck coefficient confirmed the p-type conduction. Electrical resistivity increased with increasing temperature, which shows that the $Sn_zCo_3FeSb_{12}$ skutterudite is highly degenerate. Thermal conductivity was reduced by Sn-filling because the filler atoms acted as phonon scattering centers in the skutterudite lattice. Thermoelectric figure of merit was enhanced by Sn filling and its optimum filling content was considered to be z=0.3 in the $Sn_zCo_3FeSb_{12}$ system.