Effects of Oxygen on Lattice Defects in Single-Crystalline Mg2Si Thermoelectrics

Autor: Kei Hayashi, Sota Kawamura, Yusuke Hashimoto, Noboru Akao, Zhicheng Huang, Wataru Saito, Kaichi Tasaki, Koichi Hayashi, Tomohiro Matsushita, Yuzuru Miyazaki
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2023
Předmět:
Zdroj: Nanomaterials, Vol 13, Iss 7, p 1222 (2023)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 2079-4991
DOI: 10.3390/nano13071222
Popis: Lattice defect engineering has attracted attention due to its ability to develop thermoelectric materials with low thermal conductivity. For Mg2Si single crystals (SCs), Si vacancy (VSi) defects can be introduced and consequently result in the formation of dislocation cores. These lattice defects confer Mg2Si SCs with a lower thermal conductivity compared to Mg2Si polycrystals. To reveal a mechanism for the stabilisation of VSi in the Mg2Si SCs, we investigated the effects of oxygen (O) on lattice defects by performing electronic structure calculations, secondary ion mass spectrometry, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and photoelectron holography. On the basis of these calculations, we predicted that O stabilised the formation of VSi when it was located at the Si site or at an interstitial site. All experiments confirmed the presence of O inside the Mg2Si SCs. However, O was suggested to be located not at the specific site in the crystal lattice of Mg2Si but at dislocation cores. The interaction between O and the dislocation cores in the Mg2Si SC is expected to immobilise dislocation cores, leading to the stabilisation of VSi formation.
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