PEEM of Skutterudite-Based Thermoelectric Material

Photoemission electron microscopy (PEEM) is an imaging technique primarily used to examine local elemental distribution and chemical states. In this study, PEEM was applied to skutterudite-based thermoelectric materials to investigate the effects of composition and material processing. Yb M-edge, Co L-edge, and Sb M-edge absorption bonds were selected for analysis. The absorption spectra of these elements revealed multiple absorption lines, confirming the presence of various chemical states in the materials. The resulting images demonstrate that different chemical states exist in several crystal grains.