Multinary diamond-like chalcogenides for promising thermoelectric application

Thermoelectric (TE) materials have been considered as a strong candidate for recovering the waste heat from industry and vehicles due to the ability to convert heat directly into electricity. Recently, multinary diamond-like chalcogenides (MDLCs), such as CuInTe₂, Cu₂SnSe₃, Cu₃SbSe₄, Cu₂ZnSnSe₄, etc., are eco-friendly Pb-free TE materials with relatively large Seebeck coefficient and low thermal conductivity and have aroused intensive research as a popular theme in the TE field. In this review, we summarize the TE performance and device development of MDLCs. The features of crystalline and electronic structure are first analyzed, and then the strategies that have emerged to enhance the TE figure of merits of these materials are illustrated in detail. The final part of this review describes the advance in TE device research for MDLCs. In the outlook, the challenges and future directions are also discussed to promote the further development of MDLCs TE materials. (topical review — recent advances in thermoelectric materials and devices)