The effect of electron and hole doping on the thermoelectric properties of shandite-type Co3Sn2S2

Electron and hole doping in Co3Sn2S2, through chemical substitution of cobalt by the neighbouring elements, nickel and iron, affects both the structure and thermoelectric properties. Electron doping to form Co3−xNixSn2S2 (0≤x≤3) results in an expansion of the kagome layer and materials become increasingly metallic as cobalt is substituted. Conversely, hole doping in Co3−xFexSn2S2 (0≤x≤0.6) leads to a transition from metallic to n-type semiconducting behaviour at x=0.5. Iron substitution induces a small increase in the separation between the kagome layers and improves the thermoelectric performance. Neutron diffraction data reveal that substitution occurs at the Co 9(d) site in a disordered fashion. Mössbauer spectroscopy reveals two iron environments with very different isomer shifts, which may be indicative of a mixed-valence state, while Sn exhibits an oxidation state close to zero in both series. Co2.6Fe0.4Sn2S2 exhibits a maximum figure-of-merit, ZT=0.2 at 523K while Co2.4Fe0.6Sn2S2 reaches a power factor of 10.3 μW cm−1 K−2 close to room temperature.