Large Increase In Conductivity Research Articles

Ultrahigh Concentration Hydrogen Doping into TiO2.

We investigate ultrahigh concentration doping of hydrogen (H) into rutile-TiO2 (100) single crystals by low-energy (2.5 keV) hydrogen ion beam irradiation at low temperature (LT). While the hydrogen concentration was limited to H0.3TiO2 at 300 K, in situ nuclear reaction analysis (NRA) revealed ultrahigh concentration doping of hydrogen up to H1.2TiO2 by the LT irradiation at 50 K. The large (∼8.2%) expansion of the out-of-plane lattice constant suggests that hydrogen occupies interstitial sites in rutile TiO2. Hydrogens of early stage irradiation act as electron donors and induce a large increase in conductivity, which is consistent with theoretical studies in the dilute limit. The nature of excess H was investigated in situ by transport and photoemission measurements. After LT excess H doping and postannealing to room temperature, unusual electrical transport properties were observed while maintaining the ultrahigh H concentration. In situ photoemission measurements show that the excessively doped hydrogens by LT irradiation generate a deeper in-gap state (IGS) of metastable nature. Density functional theory predicts the formation of double neighboring interstitial hydrogens as a possible mechanism for the deeper IGS.

The Effect of Expanded Graphite Content on the Thermal Properties of Fatty Acid Composite Materials for Thermal Energy Storage.

The mass content of expanded graphite (EG) in fatty acid/expanded graphite composite phase-change materials (CPCMs) affects their thermal properties. In this study, a series of capric-myristic acid/expanded graphite CPCMs with different EG mass content (1%, 3%, 5%, 8%, 12%, 16%, and 20%) were prepared. The adsorption performance effect of EG on the PCMs was observed and analyzed. The structure and thermal properties of the prepared CPCMs were characterized via scanning electron microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, thermal conductivity measurements, and heat energy storage/release experiments. The results show that the minimum mass content of EG in the CPCMs is 7.6%. The phase-change temperature of the CPCMs is close to that of the PCMs, at around 19 °C. The latent heat of phase change is equivalent to that of the PCM at the corresponding mass content, and that of phase change with an EG mass content of 8% is 138.0 J/g. The CPCMs exhibit a large increase in thermal conductivity and a significant decrease in storage/release time as the expanded graphite mass content increases. The thermal conductivity of the CPCM with a mass content of 20% is 418.5% higher than that with a mass content of 5%. With an increase in the EG mass content in CPCMs, the heat transfer mainly transitions from phase-change heat transfer to thermal conductivity.

Influence of oxygen on electrical conductance and local structural properties of BiFeO3 thin films

The effect of oxygen on the electrical conductance and local structural properties of BiFeO3 (BFO) thin films on SiO2/Si substrates grown by RF magnetron sputtering was investigated. The conductivities of BFO were studied in a planar electrode with blue light irradiation. The BFO films grown with oxygen (BFO-O2) show a large conductivity increase, which is 12.66 times more than the BFO grown without oxygen (BFO), and the conductivity change is entirely caused by the BFO thin films. To explain the mechanism of increased electrical conductance, the local structure at the Fe K-edge was investigated by using time-resolved x-ray absorption spectroscopy (TRXAS). The applied voltage and blue light exposure affected the Fe–O bond, while the valence states of Fe atoms in BFO thin films remained unchanged. When the BFO films were irradiated, the bonding distance of the Fe–O bond was deviated, resulting in an oxygen vacancy. These findings imply that BFO thin films with more oxygen components exhibit higher electrical conductivity when exposed to blue light. The results of this research should pave the way for optoelectronic applications to modulate the electrical conductivity driven by oxygen and blue light.

Enhancing the Conductivity and Thermoelectric Performance of Semicrystalline Conducting Polymers through Controlled Tie Chain Incorporation.

Conjugated polymers are promising materials for thermoelectric applications, however, at present few effective and well-understood strategies exist to further advance their thermoelectric performance. Here a new model system is reported for a better understanding of the key factors governing their thermoelectric properties: aligned, ribbon-phase poly[2,5-bis(3-dodecylthiophen-2-yl)thieno[3,2-b]thiophene] (PBTTT) doped by ion-exchange doping. Using a range of microstructural and spectroscopic methods, the effect of controlled incorporation of tie-chains between the crystalline domains is studied through blending of high and low molecular weight chains. The tie chains provide efficient transport pathways between crystalline domains and lead to significantly enhanced electrical conductivity of 4810 S cm-1, which is not accompanied by a reduction in Seebeck coefficient or a large increase in thermal conductivity. Respectable power factors of 173 µW m-1 K-2 are demonstrated in this model system. The approach is generally applicable to a wide range of semicrystalline conjugated polymers and could provide an effective pathway for further enhancing their thermoelectric properties and overcome traditional trade-offs in optimization of thermoelectric performance.

Charge Transport in the A6B2O17 (A = Zr, Hf; B = Nb, Ta) Superstructure Series

The electrical properties of the entropy stabilized oxides: Zr6Nb2O17, Zr6Ta2O17, Hf6Nb2O17 and Hf6Ta2O17 were characterized. The results and the electrical properties of the products (i.e. ZrO2, HfO2, Nb2O5 and Ta2O5) led us to hypothesize the A6B2O17 family is a series of mixed ionic-electronic conductors. Conductivity measurements in varying oxygen partial pressure were performed on A6Nb2O17 and A6Ta2O17. The results indicate that electrons are involved in conduction in A6Nb2O17 while holes play a role in conduction of A6Ta2O17. Between 900 °C–950 °C, the charge transport in the A6B2O17 system increases in Ar atmosphere. A combination of DTA/DSC and in situ high temperature X-ray diffraction was performed to identify a potential mechanism for this increase. In-situ high temperature X-ray diffraction in Ar does not show any phase transformation. Based on this, it is hypothesized that a change in the oxygen sub-lattice is the cause for the shift in high temperature conduction above 900 °C–950 °C. This could be: (i) Nb(Ta)4+- oxygen vacancy associate formation/dissociation, (ii) formation of oxygen/oxygen vacancy complexes (iii) ordering/disordering of oxygen vacancies and/or (iv) oxygen-based superstructure commensurate or incommensurate transitions. In-situ high temperature neutron diffraction up to 1050 °C is required to help elucidate the origins of this large increase in conductivity.

Low Thermal Conductivity and High Thermoelectric Performance of Nb-Doped Quarternary Mixed Crystal Nb0.05W0.95-xMox(Se1-xSx)2.

Transition-metal dichalcogenide WSe2 has attracted increasing interest due to its large thermopower (S), low-cost, and environment-friendly constituents. However, its thermoelectric figure of merit, ZT, of WSe2 is limited due to its large lattice thermal conductivity (κL) and low electrical conductivity. In view of WSe2 and MoS2 having the same crystal structure, here we designed and prepared Nb-doped quarternary mixed crystal (MC) Nb0.05W0.95-xMox(Se1-xSx)2 (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.095). The results indicate that the κL of the MC can reach as low as 0.12 W m K-1 at 850 K, being 93% smaller than that of WSe2. Our analysis reveals that its low κL originates chiefly from intense scattering of both high-frequency phonons from point defects (mainly alloying elements) and mid/low-frequency phonons from MoS2 inclusions residual within MC. In addition, the alloying of WSe2 with MoS2 causes a 5-fold increase in cation vacancies (VW‴'), leading to a large increase in hole concentration and electrical conductivity, which gives rise to a ∼7.5 times increase in power factor (reaching 4.2 μ W cm-1 K-2 at 850 K). As a result, a record high ZTmax = 0.63 is achieved at 850 K for the MC sample with x = 0.076, which is 20 times larger than that of WSe2, demonstrating that MC Nb0.05W0.95-xMox(Se1-xSx)2 is a promising thermoelectric material.

Ab initio investigations on lattice dynamics and thermal transport properties of ThO2

Thorium dioxide (ThO2) is considered as a potential substitute for uranium dioxide due to its higher melting point, higher thermal conductivity and lower thermal expansion coefficient. In this paper, based on first-principles calculations and Boltzmann transport equations (BTE), we calculate the temperature-dependent phonon dispersion and lattice thermal conductivity using self-consistent phonon (SCP) theory and the results are in good agreement with experimental values. It is worth noting that the optical vibration modes in the range of 5.5 THz to 10 THz harden significantly with the increase of temperature, leading to the gradual separation of the overlapping of the longitudinal acoustic branch and the transverse optical branch, and finally generate a band gap of 0.2 THz at 1500K, which was not found in previous studies on ThO2. After verifying the accuracy of SCP + BTE method in calculating the lattice thermal conductivity of ThO2, we predict the lattice thermal conductivity of cubic phase ThO2 in the range of 0 GPa to 30 GPa at 300K. The lattice thermal conductivity of ThO2 is 14.4 W/mK at 0 GPa and will increases to 61.9 W/mK at 30 GPa. Analysis of pressure-related thermal transport parameters reveals that the large increase in lattice thermal conductivity is mainly due to a nearly threefold increase in phonon relaxation time from 0 GPa to 30 GPa. Our analysis is of great significance for understanding the thermodynamic behavior of this new nuclear fuel at high pressure. It makes up for the lack of study on the thermal transport properties of cubic phase ThO2 under high pressure.

Large increase in photo-induced conductivity of two-dimensional electron gas at SrTiO3 surface with BiFeO3 topping layer

In this work, we study and compare the photo-induced conductivity of a two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) at the bare surface of SrTiO3 (STO) and in the heterostructure of BiFeO3 (BFO) and STO, where BFO was deposited by radio frequency magnetron sputtering. The photo-induced conductance of the BFO/STO interface shows a large increase which is 20.62 times more than the sum of photo-induced conductance from each individual BFO thin film and STO crystal. Since this photo-induced conductance of the BFO/STO heterostructure can be adjusted to become higher and lower by applying an electric field to the top surface, we attribute this large increase to the strong photo-induced electrical polarization of BFO. With the two-point setup of positive bias and negative bias, the conductivity also exhibits diode-like behavior where the forward and backward resistances are different. This work provides methods to interplay between light irradiation, electric field, and conductivity in all-oxide electronics.

Numerical experiments on thermal convection of highly compressible fluids with variable viscosity and thermal conductivity in 2-D cylindrical geometry: implications for mantle convection of super-Earths

SUMMARY We conduct a series of numerical experiments of thermal convection of highly compressible fluids in 2-D cylindrical annulus, in order to study the mantle convection on super-Earths. The variations in thermodynamic properties (thermal expansivity and reference density) with depth are taken to be relevant for the super-Earths with 10 times the Earth’s mass, while those in transport properties (viscosity and thermal conductivity) are modelled by an exponential dependence on temperature and/or depth. From our experiments we identified a distinct regime of convecting flow patterns induced by the interplay between the adiabatic temperature change and the spatial variations in viscosity and thermal conductivity. That is, for the cases with strong temperature-dependent viscosity and large increase in thermal conductivity with depth, a ‘deep stratosphere’ of stable thermal stratification is formed at the base of the mantle, in addition to thick stagnant lids at their top surfaces. In the ‘deep stratosphere’, the fluid motion is insignificant particularly in the vertical direction in spite of smallest viscosity owing to its strong dependence on temperature. From the comparison with the experiments with the Cartesian geometry, we also found that the occurrence of ‘deep stratosphere’ tends to be suppressed for the cases with cylindrical geometry, owing to the reduction of the surface area with depth which helps increase the temperature gradient in the lowermost mantle. Our finding may further imply that both the effects of adiabatic compression and those of spherical (or cylindrical) geometry of mantle are of crucial importance in understanding the mantle dynamics of massive super-Earths in the presence of spatial variations in physical properties.

Tuneable conductivity at extreme electric fields in ZnO tetrapod-silicone composites for high-voltage power cable insulation

Resistive Field Grading Materials (RFGM) are used in critical regions in the electrical insulation system of high-voltage direct-current cable systems. Here, we describe a novel type of RFGM, based on a percolated network of zinc oxide (ZnO) tetrapods in a rubber matrix. The electrical conductivity of the composite increases by a factor of 108 for electric fields > 1 kV mm−1, as a result of the highly anisotropic shape of the tetrapods and their significant bandgap (3.37 eV). We demonstrate that charge transport at fields < 1 kV mm−1 is dominated by thermally activated hopping of charge carriers across spatially, as well as energetically, localized states at the ZnO–polymer interface. At higher electric fields (> 1 kV mm−1) band transport in the semiconductive tetrapods triggers a large increase in conductivity. These geometrically enhanced ZnO semiconductors outperform standard additives such as SiC particles and ZnO micro varistors, providing a new class of additives to achieve variable conductivity in high-voltage cable system applications.

에폭시/실리카 콤포지트의 수분 흡수 및 건조에 따른 전기적 유전특성에 관한 연구

Epoxy-based microcomposites are currently used in a variety of high-voltage-based heavy electric machines (CT/PT, mold transformers, distribution insulators, etc.). Samples were prepared with three types of micro-silica-filled composites (W12est_65wt%, M10_65wt%) and epoxy prototype samples based on epoxy resin. The moisture absorption and drying properties of the three samples were evaluated. The moisture absorption process was performed until the moisture absorption of the sample was saturated in distilled water at 95°C, and the drying process was performed in a drying oven at 105°C until the moisture was saturated without any change. In the evaluation, the relationship between water absorption (M) and dielectric properties was evaluated under the conditions of steady state, moisture absorption and dry conditions. And dielectric characteristics (dielectric constant, dielectric loss and electrical conductivity) were evaluated according to the frequency change at room temperature as an evaluation environment. A large amount of water absorption resulted in a large increase in dielectric constant, dielectric loss, and electrical conductivity. In addition, it was found that the dielectric properties were restored because the dry state was based on the physical bonding with the absorbed water.

Characterization of a soft magnetic composite for use in road-embedded wireless-charging systems

The ferrite magnetic core is an integral component of road-embedded wireless charging systems for electric vehicles. However, the brittleness of ferrite makes it susceptible to premature fracture due to cyclic wheel loading from vehicles. This has motivated the development of a soft magnetic composite (SMC) composed of a flexible polyurethane and crushed ferrite as an alternative. An experimental investigation was conducted into the trade-offs between mechanical, thermal and magnetic properties at ferrite volume fractions between 45.9[Formula: see text]vol% and 80.6[Formula: see text]vol%. A comparison was made between measured properties and predictions from analytical models in order to further investigate the characteristics of the composite. The investigation showed a trade-off between the increase in magnetic permeability and the reduction in strain-to-failure as ferrite volume fraction increased. In addition, a large increase in flexural modulus and thermal conductivity, along with a slight increase in flexural strength was observed. More importantly, the strain-to-failure of the composite was 20 times higher than that of ferrite even at the highest volume fraction, indicating that the SMC was successful in providing a more ductile and flexible alternative.

Heavy carrier doping by hydrogen in the spin-orbit coupled Mott insulator Sr2IrO4

Highly efficient carrier doping into the spin-orbit coupled Mott insulator ${\mathrm{Sr}}_{2}{\mathrm{IrO}}_{4}$ is achieved by low-energy hydrogen ion beam irradiation at low temperature. We demonstrate that heavy doping of hydrogen into a ${\mathrm{Sr}}_{2}{\mathrm{IrO}}_{4}$ epitaxial thin film induces a large increase in conductivity by band-filling control via electron doping, which is confirmed by Hall effect measurements. The introduction of a large amount of hydrogen and its distribution along the depth direction are clarified by nuclear reaction analysis. The doped interstitial and substitutional hydrogens act as electron donors with minimum perturbation to the lattice, as evidenced by crystal structural analysis and first-principles calculations of the defect formation energy for doped hydrogen. The hydrogen-doping method offers a strategy toward realization of novel quantum phases in strongly correlated spin-orbit entangled systems.

X-ray absorption study of defects in reactively sputtered GaN films displaying large variation of conductivity

Undoped GaN films were epitaxially grown on c-sapphire by rf magnetron reactive sputtering of GaAs at different N2 percentages in Ar–N2 sputtering atmosphere. These films display a large increase in conductivity from ∼10−6 Ω−1cm−1 to ∼102 Ω−1cm−1 with decrease of N2 in sputtering atmosphere from 100% to 10%. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy reveals a monotonous decrease of N/Ga ratio, concurrently with increase of uncoordinated/interstitial Ga in the films, with decrease of N2 percentage in sputtering atmosphere. Extended x-ray absorption fine structure measurements and x-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) simulation at Ga K-edge demonstrate the absence of N vacancies in sputtered GaN films and point towards the presence of Ga vacancies, which increase with decrease of N2 percentage in sputtering atmosphere. XANES measurements at O K-edge reveal that O interstitials are present in most of the films, except for the film grown at low N2 percentages (∼10%), in which case, O substitution on N-site may also take place. A monotonous increase of n-type conductivity is observed with increase of Ga interstitials, which suggests that Ga interstitials are the main source of n-type conductivity in sputtered GaN films. The low conductivity of the films grown at high N2 percentages (≳75%) is attributed to the limited presence of Ga interstitials and a strong compensation, dominated by N and O interstitials. The high conductivity GaN films grown at low N2 percentages may be partly contributed by O substituted on N site, along with Ga vacancies and possibly VGa-ON complexes, as the compensating defects.

Interplay between Electronic, Magnetic, and Transport Properties in Metal Organic–Radical Frameworks

Development of modern electronic and spintronic technologies depends in large part on the ability to design materials exhibiting switchable magnetic and electrical properties. Here, motivated by the successful demonstration of reversible redox switching of magnetic order and electrical conductivity in 2dimensional metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) based on benzoquinoid linkers, we perform hybrid density functional theory calculations to investigate this phenomenon at the atomistic level. Electronic, magnetic and charge transport properties have been systematically investigated for oxidized and reduced forms of Mn and Fe benzoquinoid frameworks (i.e., (Me 4 N) 2 [Mn 2 L 3 ], (Me 4 N) 2 [Fe 2 L 3 ] and Na 3 (Me 4 N) 2 [Mn 2 L 3 ], Na(Me 4 N) 2 [Fe 2 L 3 ], respectively with deprotonated chloranilic acid as L). We demonstrate that the experimentally observed large increase in electronic conductivity upon ligand-centered reduction in the Mn MOF (10 9 S•cm −1), is due to cooperative effects arising from band gap reduction and the presence of electrons with lower effective mass. Superior conductivity (by at least 3 orders of magnitude) of the redox pair of the Fe benzoquinoid framework as compared to the Mn analog stems from similar factors and, notably, a large increase in electron delocalization for the reduced Fe compound.

Metallic conduction through van der Waals interfaces in ultrathin hbox{Bi}_2hbox{Te}_3 films

While the van der Waals (vdW) interface in layered materials hinders the transport of charge carriers in the vertical direction, it serves a good horizontal conduction path. We have investigated electrical conduction of few quintuple-layer (QL) hbox {Bi}_2hbox {Te}_3 films by in situ four-point probe conductivity measurement. The impact of the vdW (Te–Te) interface appeared as a large conductivity increase with increasing thickness from 1 to 2 QL. Angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy and first-principles calculations reveal the confinement of bulk-like conduction band (CB) state into the vdW interface. Our analysis based on the Boltzmann equation showed that the conduction of the CB has a long mean free path compared to the surface-state conduction. This is mainly attributed to the spatial separation of the CB electrons and the donor defects located at the Bi sites.

Basis of limited-transpiration rate under elevated vapor pressure deficit and high temperature among sweet corn cultivars

One plant trait that has been developed in several crop species to increase the effectiveness in water use through the cropping season is limited-transpiration under elevated atmospheric vapor pressure deficit (VPD). This trait allows water conservation early in the season so that there is more soil water available late in the season for sustained physiological activity during seed development. In sweet corn (Zea mays L. saccharata), where the quality of the kernels is important, this trait could prove to be especially beneficial. The background objective of this study was to explore 16 sweet corn cultivars for expression of the limited-transpiration trait. It was found at 32 °C that 13 of the 16 cultivars expressed the trait. It was found in a subset of eight of these cultivars, however, only half retained the limited-transpiration trait at 38 °C. The additional objectives were to explore the hypotheses that expression of the limited-transpiration trait was related to plant hydraulic conductance, and to the abundance of silver-sensitive aquaporins in the leaves. In cultivars that lost expression of the limited-transpiration trait at 38 °C there were large increases in plant hydraulic conductance at 38 °C as compared to 32 °C. Abundance of silver-sensitive aquaporins was related to the transpiration rate under low VPD conditions. That is, those cultivars with more abundant silver-sensitive aquaporins had greater transpiration rates as a result of greater stomatal conductance. These results showed that while expression of the limited-transpiration trait in sweet corn at 32 °C was common, differences in expression of the trait at 38 °C were observed due to differences in plant hydraulic conductance and stomatal conductance.

Fabrication and evaluation of structural, thermal, mechanical and optical behavior of epoxy–TEOS/MWCNTs composites for solar cell covering

In the present study, hybrid organic–inorganic composites were fabricated from epoxy–TEOS (tetraethyl orthosilicate, Si(OC2H5)4) with various ratios (0–10 wt%) of multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) as reinforcing nanofillers by the sol–gel method. The effect of the MWCNTs ratios on the structural, optical and mechanical characteristics and the thermal conductivity of the epoxy–TEOS/MWCNTs composites is investigated. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis reveals that the pure epoxy-TEOS is amorphous, while epoxy–TEOS/MWCNTs composites are crystalline with an orthorhombic crystal structure that has an average crystallite size of 3.9 ± 0.15 nm. In addition, thermal stability and thermal conductivity were improved by adding TEOS and MWCNTs, whereas the exothermic peak temperature decreases compared with pure epoxy-TEOS. Similarly, the hardness Shore-D and tensile strength reach the optimum value at 4 wt% MWCNTs content. The significant improvement in the mechanical and thermal properties of the prepared composites could be attributed to the synergistic effect of MWCNTs and epoxy–TEOS which was emphasized by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. Moreover, epoxy-TEOS sample has high optical transmittance (T) within the visible region, but the composites samples are transparent at λ < 800 nm and have a lower value of T. The indirect optical band gap decreases from 3.59 to 2.91 eV with an increase in MWCNTs fractions from 0 to 10 wt%, respectively. However, the glass transition reflects the onset of decomposition temperatures was also considerably increased. The acquired outcomes such as a large increase in thermal conductivity and tensile stress coupled with reduced T make the composites readily applicable for a variety of applications.

Age-related efficiency loss of household refrigeration appliances: Development of an approach to measure the degradation of insulation properties

Despite the omnipresence of household refrigeration appliances, there is still a lack of knowledge about their age-related efficiency loss over time. Past studies provide basic evidence for increasing electricity consumption of cooling appliances with ageing but fail to investigate the associated technical wear. Concentrating on the degradation of the thermal insulation, we first determined the ageing process of sealed samples of polyurethane rigid foam by investigating changes in cell gas composition and thermal conductivity over time. Simultaneously, the main challenge was to develop an approach that investigates the age-related efficiency loss of the insulation without its destruction. This testing procedure is referred to as the Bonn method. The non-destructive Bonn method was applied to varying refrigerator models in a series of successive experiments to evaluate the insulation degradation over time. Subsequently, the physical relationship between the test value of the Bonn method and the heat transfer through the multi-layered compartment walls of domestic refrigeration appliances was established, ultimately characterising the degrading insulation in terms of increasing heat transfer. Our results give substantiated evidence that the efficiency loss of cooling appliances is greatly influenced by insulation degradation over time. The ageing of sealed samples of polyurethane rigid foam indicates a large initial increase of thermal conductivity by 15% within the first year, corresponding to a change in cell gas composition. These results are in line with those of the Bonn method, emphasising an increasing heat flow through the multi-layered compartment walls of domestic refrigerators with ageing. Therewith, the present study is of significance to a wide range of stakeholders and forms the basis for future research.

Effect of sintering pressure on electrical transport and thermoelectric properties of polycrystalline SnSe

Tin selenide (SnSe), which has high thermoelectric (TE) performance due to its low thermal conductivity, is considered as a promising TE material. It is good that TE properties were reported in single crystal form because polycrystalline SnSe exhibits low electrical conductivity compared to that of single crystal SnSe. To improve the electrical conductivity of polycrystalline SnSe, the effects of the pressure applied during spark plasma sintering (SPS) on the electrical charge transport and the TE properties of the polycrystalline SnSe were investigated. Degree of texture was enhanced with increasing sintering pressure from 30 to 120 MPa during SPS, which lead to the increase in carrier mobility, which resulted in the increase in electrical conductivity. Increase in pressure led to a significant increase in thermal conductivity due to an increase in the lattice thermal conductivity, which can be attributed to the decrease in phonon scattering at the grain boundary. A ZT of $${\sim }0.7$$ was obtained at 823 K from the polycrystalline SnSe sintered with a pressure of 60 MPa, which can result from large increase in electrical conductivity with very small increase in the thermal conductivity. This study shows that the TE properties of the polycrystalline SnSe can be enhanced by controlling the degree of texture which can be accomplished by changing the pressure applied during SPS.