Research progress in p-type PbSe thermoelectric materials：from medium-temperature power generation to near-room-temperature cooling

Thermoelectric materials can efficiently and cleanly convert between electrical and thermal energy，offering significant prospects in waste heat recovery and electronic cooling applications. Lead telluride（PbTe）materials were used in thermoelectric power sources for deep space exploration. Lead selenide（PbSe），a homologue of PbTe，shows potential as a more abundant and cost-effective alternative for mid-temperature thermoelectric power generation. Recently，research in PbSe thermoelectric has shifted from mid-temperature power generation to near-room-temperature cooling，driven by the growing demand for Te-free thermoelectric cooling materials and devices. This paper reviewed the typical optimization strategies used in the research of p-type PbSe，summarized the key research progress in thermoelectric devices based on this material，and highlighted its significant development prospects. Finally，we provide a personal outlook on developing the near-room-temperature thermoelectric performance of p-type PbSe materials and manufacturing high-performance cooling devices，which includes integrating various optimization strategies，optimizing device assembly techniques，identifying suitable contact materials，and developing Te-free thermoelectric devices based on PbSe，with the goal of advancing their application in critical fields such as deep space exploration and laser cooling.