| Comparison of Sb doped Filled Skutterudites CePt4Ge12 and PrPt4Ge12 | |
| Presenter | Patrick Nast |
| Presentation Type | Poster |
| Full Author List |
Patrick Nast, Frank Bridges |
| Affiliations |
University of California, Santa Cruz |
| Abstract | Skutterudites are a class of materials that are currently studied for their promising thermoelectric properties. Filled skutterudites contain rare earth atoms which behave as “rattler” atoms in a cage, which scatter phonons and decrease the material’s thermal conductivity, increasing the material’s figure of merit (ZT). Recent extended x-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) analysis of Sb doped CePt4Ge12-xSbx suggests that the motion of the Ce ‘“rattler” are coupled to the rectangular Ge4 rings. We present an ongoing temperature-dependent EXAFS analysis of a similar skutterudite system, PrPt4Ge12-xSbx, at several doping concentrations over a temperature range of 5-300K. We present this together with results of the CePt4Ge12-xSbx analysis, discussing possible ways that the material’s local structure may depend on the choice of rare earth atom. Further analysis and comparison of different samples could be important to understanding and improving skutterudites’ thermoelectric properties. |