Electronic and thermoelectric properties of Fe2VAl: The role of defects and disorder

Abstract

Using first-principles calculations, we show that Fe2VAl is an indirect band gap semiconductor. Our calculations reveal that its, sometimes assigned, semimetallic character is not an intrinsic property but originates from the antisite defects and site disorder, which introduce localized ingap and resonant states changing the electronic properties close to band gap. These states negatively affect the thermopower S and power factor PF=S^2\sigma, decreasing the good thermoelectric performance of intrinsic Fe2VAl.