LAUSR

merit, ZT = S 2 σT/κ, where S is the Seebeck coefficient, σ is the electrical conductivity, κ is the total thermal conductivity, and T is the absolute temperature. PbTe, a simple cubic rock-salt structure, has been studied for decades due to their promising band structure and high thermoelectric performance. Moreover, due to the simple crystal structure, faceted nano-precipitates can be easily constructed via supersaturated doping/alloying. Such highly strained nanostructure can greatly enhance phonon scattering and suppress the lattice thermal conductivity [2]. Here we have systematically characterized nanostructures in PbTe based materials, which lead to significantly enhanced thermoelectric properties [3].