Thermoelectric Properties of Cl-Doped BiCuSeO Oxyselenides

Abstract

BiCuSeO oxyselenide has been reported as a promising thermoelectric material because of its special layered structure. Here, we attempt to synthesize n-type BiCuSeO using chlorine to substitute the Se site with the modification of (Cu2Se2)2− layers. Our results indicate that Cl doping can influence the electrical and thermal transport properties of BiCuSeO bulk materials. The significant reduction in electrical conductivity (from 40 S cm−1 to 10 S cm−1) demonstrates that Cl doping can indeed affect (Cu2Se2)2− conducting layers. It may be desirable to obtain n-type BiCuSeO by heavy doping of Cl or other elements.