Zintl phases for thermoelectric devices

By converting waste heat into electricity and improving the efficiency of refrigeration systems, thermoelectric devices could play a significant role in solving today's energy problems. Increasing the thermoelectric efficiency (as measured by the thermoelectric material's figure-of-merit, zT) is critical to the development of this technology. Complex Zint1 phases, in particular, make ideal candidates for thermoelectric materials because the necessary "electron-crystal, phonon-glass" properties can be engineered with an understanding of the Zint1 chemistry. A recent example is the discovery that Yb14MnSb11, a transition metal Zint1 compound, has twice the zT as the material currently in use at NASA. This perspective outlines a strategy to discover new high zT materials in Zint1 phases, and presents results pointing towards the success of this approach.