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Published July 2013 | public
Journal Article

Chemical Stability of (Ag,Cu)_2Se: a Historical Overview

Abstract

Recent work on Cu_(2−x) Se has caused strong interest in this material due to its high reported peak zT (1.5) and the reduction of thermal conductivity through the mechanism of liquid-like suppression of heat capacity. In the 1960s, 3M patented Cu_(1.97)Ag_(0.03)Se as "TPM-217." Over the following decade it was tested and developed by the 3M Corporation, at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Teledyne Energy Systems, and the General Atomics Corporation for use as a next-generation thermoelectric material. During these tests, extreme problems with material loss through Se vaporization and chemical reactions between the material and the device contacts were found. These problems were especially severe while operating under conditions of high iL/A. As a result, the material system was abandoned. The results of these reports are discussed. A simple test of degradation of Cu_2Se under conditions of applied current and thermal gradient was performed and showed results compatible with the work done by General Atomics.

Additional Information

© 2013 TMS. Received September 13, 2012; accepted January 19, 2013; published online March 12, 2013. D.R.B. would like to acknowledge the support of the Resnick Institute. T.D. and G.J.S. would like to acknowledge the support of the Air Force Office of Science Research. Part of this work was carried out at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, under a contract with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

Additional details

Created:
August 19, 2023
Modified:
October 24, 2023