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Seeing the Invisible-Understanding Thermoelectric Materials through Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy
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DOI：10.1021/acs.chemmater.5c02947.png)
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Abstract
En 中文
Understanding the intricate relationship between the structure and transport properties is central to advancing thermoelectric materials. Scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) provides multiscale and multimodal characterization that enables direct correlation among the atomic structure, chemical composition, and functional behavior. Through its ability to probe defects, interfaces, and compositional complexity across multiple length scales, STEM has become an essential platform for revealing how local structural features influence charge and heat transport. This review summarizes recent progress in advanced STEM methodologies for thermoelectric research. Aberration-corrected STEM allows for direct imaging of atomic configurations and defect structures with high spatial precision. Four-dimensional STEM extends this capability to quantitative mapping of orientation, phase, and strain distributions, while differential phase contrast imaging provides access to potential variations and local electrostatic fields. Emerging techniques such as electron ptychography, atomic-resolution energy dispersive spectroscopy, vibrational electron energy loss spectroscopy, and data-driven analysis are also discussed for their potential to enhance spatial resolution and extract new physical insights. Collectively, these developments establish STEM as a powerful framework for understanding structure–property relationships and guiding the design of next-generation thermoelectric materials.
Keywords:
Defects
Phonons
Scanning transmission electron microscopy
Thermoelectric materials
Thermoelectrics