Epitaxial CrN thin films with high thermoelectric figure of merit

Adv Mater. 2015 May 20;27(19):3032-7. doi: 10.1002/adma.201500110. Epub 2015 Apr 9.

Abstract

A large enhancement of the thermoelectric figure of merit is reported in single-crystalline films of CrN. The mechanism of the reduction of the lattice thermal conductivity in cubic CrN is similar to the resonant bonding in IV-VI compounds. Therefore, useful ideas from classic thermo-electrics can be applied to tune functionalities in transition metal nitrides and oxides.

Keywords: CrN; lattice instabilities; thermal conductivity; thermoelectrics; thin films.