NOTICE: Due to a lapse in annual appropriations, most of this website is not being updated. Learn more.
Form submissions will still be accepted but will not receive responses at this time. Sections of this site for programs using non-appropriated funds (such as NVLAP) or those that are excepted from the shutdown (such as CHIPS and NVD) will continue to be updated.
An official website of the United States government
Here’s how you know
Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock (
) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.
Electronic structure of Ba-Ga-Ge-Si Type I Clathrates: A Ge and Ga K-Edge Study
Published
Author(s)
Winnie Wong-Ng, Azzam Mansour, Joshua Martin, George S. Nolas
Abstract
XANES spectroscopy was successfully used to study changes in the density of unoccupied states for silicon substituted Ba8Ga16Ge30-xSix type I clathrates. Partial density of unoccupied states with p character is modified for both Ga and Ge upon Si substitution with the greatest changes occurring for the sample with the highest power factor (S2σ, where S is the Seebeck coefficient, σ the electrical conductivity). Our experimental results provide a strong correlation with computational results based on density functional theory, indicating that a series of pertinent electronic states are modified by Si p states. This suggests that an increase in the electron density near the Fermi level for an optimal Si substitution leads to an increase in the Seebeck coefficient and consequently in the power factor, according to the Mott relation. Understanding the underlying physics of this structure-property relationship could indicate additional routes for tuning the electronic properties of these materials for thermoelectric applications.
Wong-Ng, W.
, Mansour, A.
, Martin, J.
and Nolas, G.
(2012),
Electronic structure of Ba-Ga-Ge-Si Type I Clathrates: A Ge and Ga K-Edge Study, Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter, [online], https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=909750
(Accessed October 11, 2025)