Large thermopower in novel thermoelectric Yb(Si1−xGex)2 induced by valence fluctuation

Abstract

Ytterbium silicide-based thermoelectric materials have attracted attention because they exhibit large power factors owing to large absolute values of their Seebeck coefficient as well as high electrical conductivity. Here, we demonstrate that, in the Yb(Si1− xGe x)2 system, by controlling the valence fluctuation, we combine two phenomena, namely, the Kondo effect and suppression of the spin fluctuation. This leads to a large density of states and the suppression of the spin fluctuation of the 4 f electrons, thereby resulting in a high Seebeck coefficient with extremely low resistivity. Consequently, Yb(Si0.5Ge0.5)2 exhibits a high-power factor of 8.4 mW K−2 m−1, which makes energy harvesting from a cold source a practical possibility.