The Thermoelectric Performance Enhancement of N-Type BiTeSe Alloys by Addition of ZnAlO

Abstract

A series of n-type BiTeSe/ZnAlO composites were prepared by zone melting method. Thermoelectric properties, including the electrical conductivity σ, Seebeck coefficient α and thermal conductivity κ, were measured in the temperature range of 300-550K. Results show that the electrical properties have been slightly lowered due to the reduced carrier concentration by ZnAlO addition. However, the low-temperature-shifted peak α, resulting from the prematurely happened intrinsic excitation, have shifted peak ZT to lower temperatures. As a result, the ZT values at 300 K were significantly enhanced for BiTeSe/ZnAlO composites compared to that of BiTeSe, making more attractive for cooling applications at ambient temperature.