CoSb₃を母体とした充填スクッテルダイト化合物の高圧合成と熱電特性

抄録

Filled skutterudites exhibit thermoelectric properties that comply with the concept of a "phonon-glass and electron-crystal (PGEC)". The optimal filled skutterudite for PGEC would have filler atoms that exhibit large thermal vibration amplitudes in the voids of the host skutterudite lattice. It is desirable that these loosely bound filler atoms give rise to strong phonon scattering without affecting the essential part of the band structure. In this report, the use of high-pressure technique for the synthesis of CoSb₃-based filled skutterudites is reviewed. By using the high-pressure technique, new filled skutterudites, M_xCo₄Sb₁₂ (M=Ge, Sn, and Pb), have been successfully synthesized without charge compensation of the host lattice. The structural aspect and the thermoelectric properties of M_xCo₄Sb₁₂ are discussed.