Manibalan, KesavanKesavanManibalanHo, Meng-YuanMeng-YuanHoDu, You-ChengYou-ChengDuChen, Hung-WeiHung-WeiChenHSIN-JAY WU2024-09-182024-09-182023https://www.scopus.com/record/display.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85146682389&origin=resultslisthttps://scholars.lib.ntu.edu.tw/handle/123456789/721150論文編號: 509Single-crystalline tin-selenide (SnSe) has emerged as a high-performance and eco-friendly alternative to the lead-chalcogens often used in mid-temperature thermoelectric (TE) generators. At high temperature >800 K, the phase transition from Pnma to Cmcm causes a significant rise in the TE figure-of-merit (zT) curve. Conversely, the SnSe TE requires a booster at low temperatures, which allows broader applicability from a device perspective. Herein, a synergy of Cu alloy and Ag-coating is realized through a sequential multi-step synthesis, designed to combine different metal deposition effects. Single-crystalline (Cu2Se)x(SnSe)1−x alloys grown by the Bridgman method were then coated with a thin Ag layer by radio frequency (RF) sputtering, and the interlayer epitaxial film was observed via electric-current assisted sintering (ECAS). Consequently, the thin Ag-coating improves the electrical conductivity (σ) and reduces the thermal conductivity (κ) for (Cu2Se)0.005(SnSe)0.995+Ag alloy, increasing the zT curve at close to room temperature (373 K). The incorporation of multistep addition by ECAS enables tuning of the overall solubility of the alloy, which opens a new avenue to optimize TE performance in anisotropic 2D materials. © 2023 by the authors.2D materialsmultistep depositionradio frequency sputteringSnSe single crystalthermoelectricsjournal article10.3390/ma160205092-s2.0-85146682389