Editing Skutterudite (section)

==Applications==
Materials with a skutterudite structure are studied as a low cost [[Thermoelectric materials|thermoelectric material]]<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Salvador|first1=James R|last2=Cho|first2=Zuxin Ye|last3=Moczygemba|first3=Joshua E|last4=Thompson|first4=Alan J|last5=Sharp|first5=Jeffrey W|last6=König|first6=Jan D|last7=Maloney|first7=Ryan|last8=Thompson|first8=Travis|last9=Sakamoto|first9=Jeffrey|last10=Wang|first10=Hsin|last11=Wereszczak|first11=Andrew A|last12=Meisner|first12=Gregory P|title=Thermal to Electrical Energy Conversion of Skutterudite-Based Thermoelectric Modules|journal=Journal of Electronic Materials|date=5 Oct 2012|volume=42|issue=7|pages=1389–1399|doi=10.1007/s11664-012-2261-9|s2cid=93808796}}</ref> with low [[thermal conductivity]].<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors=((Nolas, G. S.)), ((Slack, G. A.)), ((Morelli, D. T.)), ((Tritt, T. M.)), ((Ehrlich, A. C.)) | journal=Journal of Applied Physics | title=The effect of rare-earth filling on the lattice thermal conductivity of skutterudites | volume=79 | issue=8 | pages=4002–4008 | date=1996 | issn=0021-8979 | doi=10.1063/1.361828| bibcode=1996JAP....79.4002N }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last1=Gharleghi|first1=Ahmad|last2=Pai|first2=Yi-Hsuan|last3=Fei-Hung|first3=Lina|last4=Liu|first4=Chia-Jyi|title=Low thermal conductivity and rapid synthesis of n-type cobalt skutterudite via a hydrothermal method|journal=Journal of Materials Chemistry C|volume=2|date=17 Mar 2014|issue=21|pages=4213–4220|doi=10.1039/C4TC00260A|s2cid=97681877}}</ref> These materials have been synthesized with a [[thermoelectric figure of merit]] (ZT) close to 1 at 800 [[kelvin]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Sales |first=B. C. |last2=Mandrus |first2=D. |last3=Williams |first3=R. K. |date=1996-05-31 |title=Filled Skutterudite Antimonides: A New Class of Thermoelectric Materials |url=https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.272.5266.1325 |journal=Science |language=en |volume=272 |issue=5266 |pages=1325–1328 |doi=10.1126/science.272.5266.1325 |issn=0036-8075}}</ref> A relatively high dimensionless figure of merit has been observed in a polycrystalline skutterudite partially filled with [[ytterbium]] ions. The small-diameter but heavy ytterbium atoms partially occupy the voids in the CoSb<sub>3</sub> host structure, resulting in low thermal conductivity values while the favorable electronic properties are not substantially disrupted by the addition of ytterbium.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Nolas |first=G. S. |last2=Kaeser |first2=M. |last3=Littleton |first3=R. T. |last4=Tritt |first4=T. M. |date=2000-09-18 |title=High figure of merit in partially filled ytterbium skutterudite materials |url=https://pubs.aip.org/apl/article/77/12/1855/517584/High-figure-of-merit-in-partially-filled-ytterbium |journal=Applied Physics Letters |language=en |volume=77 |issue=12 |pages=1855–1857 |doi=10.1063/1.1311597 |issn=0003-6951}}</ref>