Date of Graduation

Fall 2023

Degree

Master of Science in Materials Science

Department

Physics, Astronomy, and Materials Science

Committee Chair

Tiglet Besara

Abstract

The development of new thermoelectric materials is of great interest due to their potential to convert waste heat into useful electricity. The primary problem is that the physical factors that are utilized to assess thermoelectric performance conflict with one another. One way to improve their performance is to hinder the lattice from conducting heat through its vibrations while maintaining the heat conduction via the electrons. This can be done by creating cage structures that allow heavy atoms to jiggle. In this study, we report the synthesis of a group of such compounds, using the self-flux method. They all belong to the MM’2Zn20 family where the transition metals (M and M’) are inside Zn-formed cages. The synthesized crystals were characterized using electron dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and single crystal X-ray diffraction (XRD). Additionally, magnetic measurements were performed to investigate the magnetic properties. Future plans include optimization of growth parameters to grow larger crystals for thermoelectric measurements.

Keywords

Thermoelectric materials, flux, crystals, magnetism, cage-structure

Subject Categories

Condensed Matter Physics | Other Materials Science and Engineering

Copyright

© Nusrat Yasmin

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Open Access

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