Giant transverse and longitudinal magneto-thermoelectric effect in polycrystalline nodal-line semimetal Mg3Bi2

TL;DR

This paper reports the discovery of giant magneto-thermoelectric effects in Mg3Bi2, a topological nodal-line semimetal, with significantly enhanced power factors and magnetoresistance, revealing new potential for thermoelectric applications.

Contribution

It demonstrates the giant transverse and longitudinal magneto-thermoelectric effects in Mg3Bi2 and elucidates the underlying topological electronic structure mechanisms.

Findings

Maximum transverse power factor of 2182 μW/mK^2 at 13.5 K and 6 T

Longitudinal power factor reaches 3043 μW/mK^2 at 15 K and 13 T, 20 times higher than zero field

Large linear non-saturating magnetoresistance of 940% at 14 T

Abstract

Topological semimetals provide new opportunities for exploring new thermoelectric phenomena, because of their exotic and nontrivial electronic structure topology around the Fermi surface. In this study, we report on the discovery of giant transverse and longitudinal magneto-thermoelectric (MTE) effects in Mg3Bi2, which is predicted to be a type-II nodal-line semimetal in the absence of spin-orbit coupling (SOC). The maximum transverse power factor is 2182 {\mu}Wm^{-1}K^{-2} at 13.5 K and 6 Tesla. The longitudinal power factor reaches up to 3043{\mu}Wm^{-1}K^{-2} at 15 K and 13 Tesla, which is 20 times higher than in a zero-strength magnetic field and is also comparable to state-of-the-art MTE materials. By compensating Mg loss in the Mg-rich conditions for turning carrier concentration, the sample obtained in this work shows a large linear non-saturating magnetoresistance of 940% under a field of 14 Tesla. This is a two-orders-of-magnitude increase with respect to the normal Mg-deficiency Mg3Bi2 sample. Using density functional calculations, we attribute the underlying mechanism to the parent nodal-line electronic structure without SOC and the anisotropic Fermi surface shape with SOC, highlighting the essential role of high carrier mobility and open electron orbits in moment space. Our work offers a new avenue toward highly efficient thermoelectric materials through the design of Fermi surfaces with special topological electronic structures in novel quantum materials.