Enhancing electrical transport performance of polycrystalline tin selenide by doping different elements

In the face of ever-evolving energy and environmental challenges, tin selenide (SnSe) has garnered significant attention due to its outstanding thermoelectric performance. The article focuses on the research of easily accessible and highly practical polycrystalline SnSe thermoelectric materials, providing an overview of their crystal structure, band structure, and electrical transport performance. Compared with previous studies, this research classifies elements based on their own properties, mainly dividing them into alkali metals, transition metals, main group metals, halogens, and rare earth (Re) elements. The study systematically summarizes the experimental results of doping SnSe with these elements and analyzes the mechanisms by which different elements enhance the electrical transport performance and thermoelectric figure of merit of polycrystalline SnSe. The enhanced mechanism is mainly achieved by increasing the conductivity and Seebeck coefficient. Finally, a systematic analysis is conducted to identify the factors that improve electrical transport performance, and strategies for enhancing the electrical transport and thermoelectric properties of polycrystalline SnSe through precise doping techniques are discussed, with a prospect for their application in the future. (© 2024 Wiley‐VCH GmbH)