Synthesis, Doping, and Thermoelectric Properties of Chalcogenide Materials
A special issue of Molecules (ISSN 1420-3049). This special issue belongs to the section "Materials Chemistry".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2026 | Viewed by 15
Special Issue Editor
Interests: thermoelectric; semiconductor; energy; chalcogenide; skutterudite; silicide; tetrahedrite
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Thermoelectric materials enable direct and reversible conversion between heat and electricity, providing solid-state, reliable, and environmentally friendly solutions for waste heat recovery and thermal energy management. The performance of thermoelectric devices is fundamentally governed by the chemical composition and bonding nature of the constituent materials, which determine their electronic structure, defect chemistry, and lattice dynamics. Among various candidates, chalcogenide materials (sulfides, selenides, and tellurides) have attracted extensive attention as thermoelectrics due to their rich crystal chemistry, flexible valence states, and strong structure–property correlations. In these compounds, chemical tuning through doping, non-stoichiometry, and defect formation plays a decisive role in controlling carrier concentration, band structure, phonon scattering, and phase stability. Recent advances in synthetic chemistry and solid-state reaction engineering, including controlled precursor design, mechanochemical synthesis, solution-based routes, and defect-mediated processing, have enabled precise modulation of composition and local coordination environments. These chemically driven approaches, combined with atomic-scale characterization and theoretical modeling, provide new insights into the relationships between synthesis, chemical modification, and thermoelectric performance.
This Special Issue, entitled “Synthesis, Doping, and Thermoelectric Properties of Chalcogenide Materials,” focuses on recent progress in the chemical synthesis, compositional engineering, and defect-controlled modification of chalcogenide thermoelectrics. It aims to serve as a comprehensive platform for original research and review articles that elucidate how chemical design governs structure–property–performance relationships, and that promote rational materials chemistry strategies for high-performance thermoelectric applications. Experimental, theoretical, and computational contributions addressing both fundamental mechanisms and practical materials design are welcome.
Prof. Dr. Il-Ho Kim
Guest Editor
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Keywords
- chalcogenide thermoelectrics
- chemical synthesis and modification
- doping and defect chemistry
- non-stoichiometry and vacancies
- structure-property relationships
- electron-phonon interactions
- low lattice thermal conductivity
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