High Thermoelectric Power Factor and Efficiency from a Highly Dispersive Band in Ba 2 BiAu
With first-principles calculations based on density-functional theory, we predict the potential for the unprecedentedly high thermoelectric figure of merit zT = 5 at 800 K in an n-type Ba 2 BiAu full-Heusler compound. Such a high efficiency arises from an intrinsically ultralow lattice thermal conductivity coupled with a very high power factor reaching 7 mW m –1 K –2 at 500 K. The high n-type power factor originates from a light, sixfold degenerate conduction-band pocket along the Γ-X direction. Weak acoustic phonon scattering and sixfold multiplicity combine to yield both high mobility and a high Seebeck coefficient. In contrast, the flat-and-dispersive (or low-dimensional) valence band of Ba 2 BiAu fails to generate such high power factors due to strong acoustic phonon scattering. We note the Lorenz numbers at optimal doping are smaller than theWiedemann-Franz value, an integral feature for zT enhancement as electrons are the majority heat carriers.