347 research outputs found
Large Thermoelectric Power Factor in TiS2 Crystal with Nearly Stoichiometric Composition
A TiS crystal with a layered structure was found to have a large
thermoelectric power factor.The in-plane power factor at 300 K is
37.1~W/Kcm with resistivity () of 1.7 mcm and
thermopower () of -251~V/K, and this value is comparable to that of the
best thermoelectric material, BiTe alloy. The electrical
resistivity shows both metallic and highly anisotropic behaviors, suggesting
that the electronic structure of this TiS crystal has a
quasi-two-dimensional nature. The large thermoelectric response can be ascribed
to the large density of state just above the Fermi energy and inter-valley
scattering. In spite of the large power factor, the figure of merit, of
TiS is 0.16 at 300 K, because of relatively large thermal conductivity,
68~mW/Kcm. However, most of this value comes from reducible lattice
contribution. Thus, can be improved by reducing lattice thermal
conductivity, e.g., by introducing a rattling unit into the inter-layer sites.Comment: 11 pages, 4 figures, to be published in Physical Review
Thermoelectricity in Nanowires: A Generic Model
By employing a Boltzmann transport equation and using an energy and size
dependent relaxation time () approximation (RTA), we evaluate
self-consistently the thermoelectric figure-of-merit of a quantum wire
with rectangular cross-section. The inferred shows abrupt enhancement in
comparison to its counterparts in bulk systems. Still, the estimated for
the representative BiTe nanowires and its dependence on wire parameters
deviate considerably from those predicted by the existing RTA models with a
constant . In addition, we address contribution of the higher energy
subbands to the transport phenomena, the effect of chemical potential tuning on
, and correlation of with quantum size effects (QSEs). The obtained
results are of general validity for a wide class of systems and may prove
useful in the ongoing development of the modern thermoelectric applications.Comment: 15 pages, 6 figures; Dedicated to the memory of Amirkhan Qezell
Possible mechanism for achieving glass-like thermal conductivities in crystals with off-center atoms
In the filled Ga/Ge clathrate, Eu and Sr are off-center in site 2 but Ba is
on-center. All three filler atoms (Ba,Eu,Sr) have low temperature Einstein
modes; yet only for the Eu and Sr systems is there a large dip in the thermal
conductivity, attributed to the Einstein modes. No dip is observed for Ba. Here
we argue that it is the off-center displacement that is crucial for
understanding this unexplained difference in behavior. It enhances the coupling
between the "rattler" motion and the lattice phonons for the Eu and Sr systems,
and turns on/off another scattering mechanism (for 1K < T < 20K) produced by
the presence/absence of off-center sites. The random occupation of different
off-center sites produces a high density of symmetry-breaking defects which
scatters phonons. It may also be important for improving our understanding of
other glassy systems.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figure (2 parts) -- v2: intro broadened; strengthened
arguments regarding need for additional phonon scattering mechanis
Anomalous infrared spectra of hybridized phonons in type-I clathrate BaGaGe
The optical conductivity spectra of the rattling phonons in the clathrate
BaGaGe are investigated in detail by use of the terahertz
time-domain spectroscopy. The experiment has revealed that the lowest-lying
vibrational mode of a Ba(2) ion consists of a sharp Lorentzian peak at
1.2 THz superimposed on a broad tail weighted in the lower frequency regime
around 1.0 THz. With decreasing temperature, an unexpected linewidth broadening
of the phonon peak is observed, together with monotonic softening of the phonon
peak and the enhancement of the tail structure. These observed anomalies are
discussed in terms of impurity scattering effects on the hybridized phonon
system of rattling and acoustic phonons.Comment: Submitted to JPS
Resonant States in the Electronic Structure of the High Performance Thermoelectrics AgPb_{2+m}$ ; The Role of Ag-Sb Microstructures
Ab initio electronic structure calculations based on gradient corrected
density functional theory were performed on a class of novel quaternary
compounds AgPb_{2+m}$, which were found to be excellent high
temperature thermoelctrics with large figure of merit ZT ~2.2 at 800K. We find
that resonant states appear near the top of the valence and bottom of the
conduction bands of bulk PbTe when Ag and Sb replace Pb. These states can be
understood in terms of modified Te-Ag(Sb) bonds. Electronic structure near the
gap depends sensitively on the microstructural arrangements of Ag-Sb atoms,
suggesting that large ZT values may originate from the nature of these ordering
arrangements.Comment: Accepted in Physical Review Letter
Cage-size control of guest vibration and thermal conductivity in Sr8Ga16Si30-xGex
We present a systematic study of thermal conductivity, specific heat,
electrical resistivity, thermopower and x-ray diffraction measurements
performed on single-crystalline samples of the pseudoquaternary type-I
clathrate system Sr8Ga16Si30-xGex, in the full range of 0 < x < 30. All the
samples show metallic behavior with n-type majority carriers. However, the
thermal conductivity and specific heat strongly depend on x. Upon increasing x
from 0 to 30, the lattice parameter increases by 3%, from 10.446 to 10.726 A,
and the localized vibrational energies of the Sr guest ions in the
tetrakaidekahedron (dodecahedron) cages decrease from 59 (120) K to 35 (90) K.
Furthermore, the lattice thermal conductivity at low temperatures is largely
suppressed. In fact, a crystalline peak found at 15 K for x = 0 gradually
decreases and disappears for x > 20, evolving into the anomalous glass-like
behavior observed for x = 30. It is found that the increase of the free space
for the Sr guest motion directly correlates with a continuous transition from
on-center harmonic vibration to off-center anharmonic vibration, with
consequent increase in the coupling strength between the guest's low-energy
modes and the cage's acoustic phonon modes.Comment: 7 pages, 7 figures, submitted to PR
Thermal and electrical transport in the spin density wave antiferromagnet CaFeAs
We present here measurements of the thermopower, thermal conductivity, and
electrical resistivity of the newly reported compound CaFe4As3. Evidence is
presented from specific heat and electrical resistivity measurements that a
substantial fraction of the Fermi surface survives the onset of spin density
wave (SDW) order at the Neel temperature TN=88 K, and its subsequent
commensurate lockin transition at T2=26.4 K. The specific heat below T2
consists of a normal metallic component from the ungapped parts of the Fermi
surface, and a Bardeen-Cooper- Schrieffer (BCS) component that represents the
SDW gapping of the Fermi surface. A large Kadowaki-Woods ratio is found at low
temperatures, showing that the ground state of CaFe4As3 is a strongly
interacting Fermi liquid. The thermal conductivity of CaFe4As3 is an order of
magnitude smaller than those of conventional metals at all temperatures, due to
a strong phonon scattering. The thermoelectric power displays a sign change
from positive to negative indicating that a partial gap forms at the Fermi
level with the onset of commensurate spin density wave order at T2=26.4 K. The
small value of the thermopower and the enhancements of the resistivity due to
gap formation and strong quasiparticle interactions offset the low value of the
thermal conductivity, yielding only a modest value for the thermoelectric
figure of merit Z < 5x10^-6 1/K in CaFe4As3. The results of ab initio
electronic structure calculations are reported, confirming that the sign change
in the thermopower at T2 is reflected by a sign change in the slope of the
density of states at the Fermi level. Values for the quasiparticle
renormalization are derived from measurements of the specific heat and
thermopower, indicating that as T->0, CaFe4As3 is among the most strongly
correlated of the known Fe-based pnictide and chalcogenide systems.Comment: 8 pages with 5 figure
Four-well tunneling states and elastic response of clathrates
We present resonant ultrasound elastic constant measurements of the clathrate
compounds Eu8Ga16Ge30 and Sr8Ga16Ge30. The elastic response of the Eu clathrate
provides clear evidence for the existence of a new type of four-well tunneling
states, described by two nearly degenerate four level systems (FLS). The FLS's
are closely linked with the fourfold split positions of Eu known from neutron
diffraction density profiles. Using a realistic potential we estimate the
tunneling frequencies and show that the energy gap between the two FLS's is of
the same order as the Einstein oscillator frequency. This explains why the
observed harmonic oscillator type specific heat is not modified by tunneling
states. In addition the quadrupolar interaction of FLS's with elastic strains
explains the pronounced depression observed in elastic constant measurements.
In the case of the Sr clathrate, we show that the shallow dip in the elastic
constant c44 is explained using the same type of quadrupolar interaction with a
soft Einstein mode instead of a FLS.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures; accepted for publication in Physical Review
Letter
Photography, Politics and Childhood: Exploring children’s multimodal relations with the public sphere
In qualitative research with children visually oriented and multimodal approaches are identified in the literature as more appropriate for approaching children’s meanings and feelings often deemed to lie beyond the realm of language. In our own research, a comparative ethnography which enquired into the relationships between childhood and public life, with six-to-eight year olds in three cities (Athens, Hyderabad and London), we have reflexively experimented with the employment and remixing of methodologies which would allow us to explore such relationships. In the process of our research, incorporating different visual and ethnographic methods, we have developed a data collection and production process, an adaptation of the photo-story, which allows for a multimodal, processual and reflective enquiry into children’s relationships of concern and politics of care. We review the central visual methods in research with children, we then proceed to provide a documentation of the method, its development and its rationale. Consequently, we provide some examples of the photostory method’s implementation in the Connectors Study together with a discussion of the production processes of the photo-stories themselves and our readings of them. We conclude with a section with reflections on the method, which, we argue provides a departure point from which we may rethink the political in childhood, as well as the ways in which photography is employed as a research method in the social sciences
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