Thermoelectric properties of n-type PbSe revisited

Abstract

It was recently predicted [D. Parker D. J. Singh, Phys. Rev. B 82, 035204 (2010)], contrary to then-prevalent opinion, that p-type PbSe would be a good thermoelectric material. This prediction was confirmed in Wang et al. [Adv. Mater. 23, 1367 (2011)], and recent experimental work (Zhang et al. Energy Env. Sci. 5, 5246 (2012)] now indicates that n-type PbSe may show good thermoelectric performance. In light of this work, we now re-examine the thermoelectric performance of n-type PbSe with a revised approximation (not available at the time of the original work) which improves band gap accuracy. We now find that n-type PbSe has large thermopowers characteristic of a high performance material, with values as high in magnitude as 250 μV/K at 1000 K and 300 μV/K at 800 K. We further find that optimal 1000 K n-type doping ranges are between 2 × 1019 cm−3 and 7 × 1019 cm−3, while at 800 K, the corresponding range is from 7 × 1018 to 4 × 1019 cm−3.