Stabilized Cubic GeTe With Matched Grain‐Boundary Networks and Band Convergence for High‐Performance Dual‐Mode Thermoelectric Devices

ABSTRACT Lead‐free GeTe‐based thermoelectrics exhibit strong potential; however, device performance is limited by the intrinsic ferroelectric phase transition and structural instability. Here, we propose a cooperative structural‐electronic regulation strategy that stabilizes the cubic phase and simultaneously enhances the thermoelectric and mechanical properties. AgSbTe 2 alloying completely suppresses the ferroelectric transition over the entire operating temperature range, while complementary I doping produces refined single‐phase domains with well‐matched multi‐degree‐of‐freedom grain boundary networks, together with a precisely tuned band structure. These synergistic effects intensify phonon scattering, optimize carrier transport, and increase the effective mass, thereby elevating the power factor and substantially reducing the lattice thermal conductivity ( κ L ), thereby significantly improving the weighted mobility ( µ w )‐to‐ κ L ratio. The optimized composition achieves a room‐temperature zT of ∼0.7 and a peak zT of ∼2.2 at 773 K, demonstrating superior performance from near‐ambient to intermediate temperatures. Concurrently, grain refinement effectively enhances mechanical integrity, yielding a compressive strength of ∼248 MPa. A 7‐pair power‐generation device delivers ∼11% efficiency at Δ T = 470 K, while a cooling device achieves a maximum Δ T max of ∼65.6 K at 350 K. This study establishes a generalizable framework for concurrent phase stabilization and performance optimization, enabling scalable, high‐reliability GeTe‐based dual‐mode thermoelectric devices.

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Publication Details

Journal
Advanced Science
Published
2026-07-17
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/advs.76668
Primary Topic
Advanced Thermoelectric Materials and Devices
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

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article

Stabilized Cubic GeTe With Matched Grain‐Boundary Networks and Band Convergence for High‐Performance Dual‐Mode Thermoelectric Devices

Jiaxing Luo, Huangshui Ma, Xuri Rao, Siqi Huo et al.
Advanced Science
Advanced Thermoelectric Materials and Devices
article

Stabilized Cubic GeTe With Matched Grain‐Boundary Networks and Band Convergence for High‐Performance Dual‐Mode Thermoelectric Devices

Jiaxing Luo, Huangshui Ma, Xuri Rao, Siqi Huo, Ran Ang, Xiaobo Tan, Min Hong, Fan Feng, Zijian Lin, Ruiheng Li, Maoji Tian
article en

Abstract

ABSTRACT Lead‐free GeTe‐based thermoelectrics exhibit strong potential; however, device performance is limited by the intrinsic ferroelectric phase transition and structural instability. Here, we propose a cooperative structural‐electronic regulation strategy that stabilizes the cubic phase and simultaneously enhances the thermoelectric and mechanical properties. AgSbTe 2 alloying completely suppresses the ferroelectric transition over the entire operating temperature range, while complementary I doping produces refined single‐phase domains with well‐matched multi‐degree‐of‐freedom grain boundary networks, together with a precisely tuned band structure. These synergistic effects intensify phonon scattering, optimize carrier transport, and increase the effective mass, thereby elevating the power factor and substantially reducing the lattice thermal conductivity ( κ L ), thereby significantly improving the weighted mobility ( µ w )‐to‐ κ L ratio. The optimized composition achieves a room‐temperature zT of ∼0.7 and a peak zT of ∼2.2 at 773 K, demonstrating superior performance from near‐ambient to intermediate temperatures. Concurrently, grain refinement effectively enhances mechanical integrity, yielding a compressive strength of ∼248 MPa. A 7‐pair power‐generation device delivers ∼11% efficiency at Δ T = 470 K, while a cooling device achieves a maximum Δ T max of ∼65.6 K at 350 K. This study establishes a generalizable framework for concurrent phase stabilization and performance optimization, enabling scalable, high‐reliability GeTe‐based dual‐mode thermoelectric devices.

Advanced Science
University of Southern Queensland (AU), Sichuan University (CN), Chengdu University of Technology (CN)
Australian Research Council, National Key Research and Development Program of China
Openalex Percentile: Top 18%
Advanced Thermoelectric Materials and Devices
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