Dataset in support of the journal article 'Ultra-low thermal conductivity and improved thermoelectric properties of Al-doped ZnO by in-situ O2 plasma treatment'

The thriving of Internet-of-Things and integrated wireless sensor networks has brought an unprecedented demand for sustainable micro-Watt-scale power supplies. Development of high-performing micro-thermoelectric generator (μ-TEG) that can convert waste thermal energy into electricity and provide sustainable micro-Watt-scale power is therefore extremely timely and important. Herein, a significant advance in the development of earth-abundant, nontoxic thermoelectric materials of aluminium-doped zinc oxide (AZO) is presented. Through nanostructure engineering using a novel in situ O2 plasma treatment, AZO films are demonstrated with ultralow thermal conductivity of 0.16 W m-1 K-1 which is the lowest reported in the literature. This nanostructured film yields a power factor of 294 μW m-1K-2 at 563 K and has resulted in a state-of-the-art ZT of 0.11 at room temperature and 0.72 at 563 K for AZO thin films. Furthermore, the fabrication and testing of a prototype lateral μ-TEG are reported based on the AZO thin film which achieves a power output of 1.08 nW with an applied temperature difference of 16.9 °C.

随着物联网（Internet-of-Things）与集成无线传感器网络的蓬勃发展，对可持续微瓦级供电电源的需求达到了前所未有的水平。因此，开发可将废热能转化为电能并提供可持续微瓦级电力的高性能微型热电发电机（micro-thermoelectric generator，μ-TEG）显得尤为及时且重要。本文报道了以地壳储量丰富、无毒的铝掺杂氧化锌（aluminium-doped zinc oxide，AZO）为代表的热电材料开发的重大进展。通过基于新型原位氧等离子体处理的纳米结构工程策略，本研究制备的AZO薄膜展现出0.16 W·m⁻¹·K⁻¹的超低热导率，为目前已发表文献中的最低值。该纳米结构薄膜在563 K下的功率因子可达294 μW·m⁻¹·K⁻²，使AZO薄膜的热电优值（ZT）在室温下达到0.11，在563 K下达到0.72，创下当前领域的顶尖水平。此外，本研究基于AZO薄膜制备并测试了一款横向微型热电发电机原型器件，在施加16.9 ℃温差的条件下，其输出功率可达1.08 nW。