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    Ambipolar thermoelectric performance enabled by low lattice thermal conductivity and high-mobility carriers in Ag3SX (X=Cl, Br, I) antiperovskites

    Xiangyu Zeng1,2, Guangming Niu2, Xiaowei Wang2,3, Jutao Jiang2,4, Yutong Zhang2,5, Anmin Chen1,*, Mingxing Jin1, Kaijun Yuan2,3,†, and Laizhi Sui2,3,‡

    • *Contact author: amchen@jlu.edu.cn
    • †Contact author: kjyuan@dicp.ac.cn
    • ‡Contact author: lzsui@dicp.ac.cn

    Phys. Rev. B 113, 195149 – Published 26 May, 2026

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/cybt-83xz

    Abstract

    High thermoelectric efficiency has been reported in several antiperovskites, but strongly unbalanced n- and p-type thermoelectric performances still limit practical device integration. Here, we show that Ag3SX (X = Cl, Br, I) antiperovskites exhibit simultaneously favorable p- and n-type transport, and that halogen substitution further improves this ambipolar behavior through coupled lattice and electronic mechanisms. On the lattice side, heavier halogens soften the Ag-X framework and strengthen anharmonic phonon scattering, which markedly lowers the lattice thermal conductivity and helps drive the materials toward a glasslike transport regime. On the electronic side, halogen substitution modifies the relative contributions and hybridization of Ag-4d and chalcogen/halogen p states near the valence-band edge; together with the stronger spin–orbit coupling in the iodide, this leads to enhanced valence-band degeneracy while retaining sufficient band dispersion. As a result, Ag3SI exhibits ultralow lattice thermal conductivity (0.29 W/m K) and high carrier mobility (10–200 cm2/Vs), achieving a maximum power factor of 2.5 mW/mK2. Under optimal doping, ZT at 800 K reaches ≈2.42 for p-type and ≈1.87 for n-type carriers. These results identify Ag3SX compounds as promising ambipolar thermoelectric materials and highlight how lattice anharmonicity and band-edge reconstruction can be combined to optimize heat and charge transport.

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