Zintl Phase Baagsb: Low Thermal Conductivity And High Performance Thermoelectric Material In Ab Initio Calculation

Thermoelectric materials are critical parts in thermal electric devices. Here, Zintl phase BaAgSb in space group of P6(3)/mmc is reported as a promising thermoelectric material in density function theory. The anisotropic lattice thermal conductivity and phonon transport properties are investigated in theory. The strong phonon-phonon scattering in BaAgSb exhibits ultra-low lattice thermal conductivity of 0.59 W.m(-1).K-1 along c-axis at 800 K, and high thermoelectric performance ZT = 0.94 at 400 K. The mix of covalent and ionic bond supports high carrier mobility and low thermal conductivity. The unusual features make BaAgSb a potential thermoelectric material.