Chapters authored
Tetrahedrites: Prospective Novel Thermoelectric Materials
Since their discovery in 1845, tetrahedrites, a class of minerals composed of relatively earth‐abundant and nontoxic elements, have been extensively studied in mineralogy and geology. Despite a large body of publications on this subject, their transport properties had not been explored in detail. The discovery of their interesting high‐temperature thermoelectric properties and peculiar thermal transport has led to numerous experimental and theoretical studies over the last 4 years with the aim of better understanding the relationships between the crystal, electronic, and thermal properties. Tetrahedrites provide a remarkable example of anharmonic system giving rise to a temperature dependence of the lattice thermal conductivity that mirrors that of amorphous compounds. Here, we review the progress of research on the transport properties of tetrahedrites, highlighting the main experimental and theoretical results that have been obtained so far and the important issues and questions that remain to be investigated.
Part of the book: Thermoelectrics for Power Generation