Synergistic doping pushes germanium telluride thermoelectric performance to record levels

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1118640

"improving electrical conductivity in thermoelectric materials usually increases unwanted thermal conductivity... overcome co-doping germanium telluride with antimony/ nickel... nickel enhances carrier effective mass, for high Seebeck coefficient without ruining electrical flow... etch maze for heat, forming nickel germanium 10–30 nm nanophases, which when combined with atomic defects/ grain boundaries, reduces thermal conductivity to near-theoretical limits... 2.15 ZT at 773°K, 10% conversion efficiency"

Related: Unusual nonlinear thermoelectric effect appears in chiral tellurium, confirming theoretical predictions
https://phys.org/news/2026-05-unusual-nonlinear-thermoelectric-effect-chiral.html