Lead chalcogenide thermoelectric materials

Lead chalcogenides have long been studied as thermoelectric (TE) materials since the 1950s due to unique electrical and thermal transport properties. The unremitting efforts during the past two decades give rise to the high TE figure of merit ZT values in both n- and p-type lead chalcogenides. Many encouraging breakthroughs trigger us to systematically understand the underlying physical mechanism of the optimization strategies. In this chapter, we first discuss band engineering strategies for the recent advances in high-performance lead chalcogenides. Then the strategies for increasing average ZT from optimizing concentration of charge carriers will be elucidated. Finally, the microstructural manipulation for high thermoelectric performances of lead chalcogenides will be presented.