core-shell precipitates. This hierarchical structural engineering acts as a frequency-selective barrier, drastically reducing lattice thermal conductivity without compromising carrier mobility. Consequently, the 0.5 mol% composite achieves a peak figure of merit of 1.47 at 333 K. Translating this material-level breakthrough into a device, we fabricated a thermoelectric module that delivers a conversion efficiency of ∼7% and an output power of 13.1 mW under a temperature difference of 180 K. This work establishes a generalizable protocol for functionalizing thermoelectric systems via coupled defect chemistry and interface engineering, bridging the gap between fundamental transport physics and practical energy harvesting.
Xin et al. (2026) studied this question.