Publications
First-principles study of Se-intercalated graphite
Se-intercalated graphite compounds (Se-GICs) are considered as promising candidates for room-temperature thermoelectric cooling devices. Here the authors analyze the crystallographic structure and electronic properties of these materials within the framework of density-functional theory. First, the Adaptive-Coordinate Real-space Electronic Structure (ACRES) code is used to determine the stable structure of a representative stage-2 Se-GIC by relaxing atomic positions. The stable configuration is found to be a pendant-type structure, in which each selenium is bonded covalently to two atoms within the same carbon layer, causing a local distortion of the in-plane conjugation of the graphite. Then, they use the full potential linearized augmented plane wave (FP-LAPW) method to calculate the electronic band structure of the material and discuss its properties. Near the Fermi energy E{sub F}, there are wide bands originating from the host graphitic electronic structure and a few very narrow bands mainly of Se 4p character. The latter bands contribute to high peaks in the density of states close to E{sub F}. They show that this feature, although typical of many good thermoelectrics, does not necessarily imply high thermopower in the case of Se-GICs.