This short review discusses recent advances in n-type PbSe-based bulk thermoelectric materials. Their performance has rapidly progressed recently and emerges as one of most efficient n-type thermoelectrics in the mid-temperature range (500–800 K), rivaling PbTe-based materials. This success is mainly attributed to the development of new performance-enhancing strategies employing nanoscale defect structures. We introduce intrinsic thermoelectric properties of PbSe based on crystal and electronic band structures. We then discuss how nanoscale defect structures can modulate charge and phonon transport properties and serve as a key to achieving higher ZT in n-type PbSe with the examples of current state-of-the-art systems.

这篇简短的评论讨论了n型基于PbSe的块状热电材料的最新进展。它们的性能最近迅速发展，并成为中等温度范围（500–800 K）中最有效的n型热电学之一，可与基于PbTe的材料相媲美。这一成功主要归因于采用纳米级缺陷结构的新型性能增强策略的发展。我们基于晶体和电子能带结构介绍了PbSe的固有热电性质。然后，我们将以当前最先进的系统为例，讨论纳米级缺陷结构如何调节电荷和声子的传输特性，并作为在n型PbSe中实现更高ZT的关键。