Lee, Ji-Eun Kim, Kyoo Nguyen, Van Quang Hwang, Jinwoong Denlinger, Jonathan D. Min, Byung Il Cho, Sunglae Ryu, Hyejin Hwang, Choongyu Mo, Sung-Kwan 2024-01-19T09:04:26Z 2024-01-19T09:04:26Z 2023-07-27 2023-07 2196-5404 https://pubs.kist.re.kr/handle/201004/113523 The thermoelectric performance of SnSe strongly depends on its low-energy electron band structure that provides high density of states in a narrow energy window due to the multi-valley valence band maximum (VBM). Angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy measurements, in conjunction with first-principles calculations, reveal that the binding energy of the VBM of SnSe is tuned by the population of Sn vacancy, which is determined by the cooling rate during the sample growth. The VBM shift follows precisely the behavior of the thermoelectric power factor, while the effective mass is barely modified upon changing the population of Sn vacancies. These findings indicate that the low-energy electron band structure is closely correlated with the high thermoelectric performance of hole-doped SnSe, providing a viable route toward engineering the intrinsic defect-induced thermoelectric performance via the sample growth condition without an additional ex-situ process. English Springer | Korea Nano Technology Research Society Enhanced thermoelectric performance of SnSe by controlled vacancy population Article 10.1186/s40580-023-00381-7 1 Nano Convergence, v.10, no.1 Nano Convergence 10 1 Y scie scopus kci 001026076500001 2-s2.0-85164345527 Nanoscience & Nanotechnology Materials Science, Multidisciplinary Physics, Applied Science & Technology - Other Topics Materials Science Physics Article TEMPERATURE SnSe Thermoelectric Defect engineering Electron band structure Vacancy