Drastic reduction of thermal conductivity in hexagonal AX (A = Ga, In & Tl, X = S, Se & Te) monolayers due to alternative atomic configuration

• Several two-dimensional chalcogenide materials have been in the limelight in the recent past for their promising thermoelectric properties. It is well established that the thermoelectric performance of materials improves on reducing the physical dimensionality of the system. Two-dimensional hexagonal chalcogen (S, Se and Te) bearing compounds of Ga, In and Tl have already been studied extensively in literature. But in those phases, the group-13 non-chalcogen atoms occupy the two inner planes while the chalcogens occupy the two outer planes of the unit cell. In this work, we have proposed the alternate arrangement in which the chalcogen atoms occupy the two inner planes while the group-13 atoms occupy the two outer planes of the unit cell. Unprecedentedly, this alternate arrangement shows much lower thermal conductivity that leads to superior thermoelectric performance. In this work we have studied in details the thermoelectric properties of hexagonal AX (A = Ga, In & Tl, X = S, Se & Te) monolayers and compare the results having both the atomic arrangements. The very low lattice thermal conductivity of this new arrangement is due to the outermost valence s-orbital lone pair of the chalcogens which leads to enhanced anharmonicity. We have explained these results from the anti-crossing of the phonon branches as well. The electronic, dynamical, thermodynamical and elastic properties have also been studied. We think that these results should have significant impact on the synthesis of high-performance thermoelectric materials based on chalcogenides of gallium, indium and thallium.

Subject headings

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Fysik -- Den kondenserade materiens fysik (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Physical Sciences -- Condensed Matter Physics (hsv//eng)

TEKNIK OCH TEKNOLOGIER  -- Maskinteknik -- Energiteknik (hsv//swe)

ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY  -- Mechanical Engineering -- Energy Engineering (hsv//eng)

Keyword

Thermoelectric

DFT

Ultralow thermal conductivity

2D

Anharmonic scattering

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

art (subject category)