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Multifunctional Roles of Vacancy Defects in Advancing Thermoelectric Materials

The review highlights vacancy engineering as a transformative strategy for thermoelectric (TE) materials, detailing how intentional vacancy creation can simultaneously tune electronic band structures, carrier concentrations, and phonon transport. It surveys state‑of‑the‑art characterization tools, computational predictions, and synthesis routes that enable precise vacancy control. By linking these defects to improvements in electrical conductivity, reduced thermal conductivity, and enhanced mechanical resilience, the article provides a roadmap for designing next‑generation high‑performance TE compounds. It also outlines remaining challenges and future research directions.