Communication

High Thermoelectric Performance in Non‐Toxic Earth‐Abundant Copper Sulfide

State Key Laboratory of High Performance Ceramics and Superfine Microstructure, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1295 Dingxi Road, Shanghai, 200050 China

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Tristan Day

Department of Materials Science, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, 91125 USA

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Tiansong Zhang

State Key Laboratory of High Performance Ceramics and Superfine Microstructure, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1295 Dingxi Road, Shanghai, 200050 China

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Huili Liu

State Key Laboratory of High Performance Ceramics and Superfine Microstructure, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1295 Dingxi Road, Shanghai, 200050 China

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Xun Shi

Corresponding Author

State Key Laboratory of High Performance Ceramics and Superfine Microstructure, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1295 Dingxi Road, Shanghai, 200050 China

E‐mail: xshi@mail.sic.ac.cn, cld@mail.sic.ac.cn, Jsnyder@caltech.edu Search for more papers by this author

Lidong Chen

Corresponding Author

State Key Laboratory of High Performance Ceramics and Superfine Microstructure, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1295 Dingxi Road, Shanghai, 200050 China

E‐mail: xshi@mail.sic.ac.cn, cld@mail.sic.ac.cn, Jsnyder@caltech.edu Search for more papers by this author

G. Jeffrey Snyder

Corresponding Author

Department of Materials Science, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, 91125 USA

E‐mail: xshi@mail.sic.ac.cn, cld@mail.sic.ac.cn, Jsnyder@caltech.edu Search for more papers by this author

Ying He

State Key Laboratory of High Performance Ceramics and Superfine Microstructure, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1295 Dingxi Road, Shanghai, 200050 China

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Tristan Day

Department of Materials Science, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, 91125 USA

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Tiansong Zhang

State Key Laboratory of High Performance Ceramics and Superfine Microstructure, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1295 Dingxi Road, Shanghai, 200050 China

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Huili Liu

State Key Laboratory of High Performance Ceramics and Superfine Microstructure, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1295 Dingxi Road, Shanghai, 200050 China

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Xun Shi

Corresponding Author

State Key Laboratory of High Performance Ceramics and Superfine Microstructure, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1295 Dingxi Road, Shanghai, 200050 China

E‐mail: xshi@mail.sic.ac.cn, cld@mail.sic.ac.cn, Jsnyder@caltech.edu Search for more papers by this author

Lidong Chen

Corresponding Author

State Key Laboratory of High Performance Ceramics and Superfine Microstructure, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1295 Dingxi Road, Shanghai, 200050 China

E‐mail: xshi@mail.sic.ac.cn, cld@mail.sic.ac.cn, Jsnyder@caltech.edu Search for more papers by this author

G. Jeffrey Snyder

Corresponding Author

Department of Materials Science, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, 91125 USA

E‐mail: xshi@mail.sic.ac.cn, cld@mail.sic.ac.cn, Jsnyder@caltech.edu Search for more papers by this author

First published: 26 March 2014

https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.201400515

Citations: 355

Abstract

A new type of high performance thermoelectric material Cu_2‐xS composed of non‐toxic and earth‐abundant elements Cu and S is reported. Cu_2‐xS surprisingly has lower thermal conductivity and more strikingly reduced specific heat compared to the heavier Cu₂Se, leading to an increased zT to 1.7.