Abstract
Many compounds with the spinel structure type have been analyzed for their thermoelectric properties. Published data was used to augment experimental results presented here and to select promising thermoelectric spinels. Compounds studied here include Cu0.5Al0.5Cr2Se4, Cu0.5Co0.5Cr2Se4, Cu0.5In0.5Cr2Se4, and CuIr2Se4. Many exhibit low lattice thermal conductivity of about 20 mW/cmK, independent of temperature. Two representative series of compounds GaxCu1-xCr2Se4 0≤x ≤ 0.6 and CuxZn1-xCr2Se4 0≤x≤ 0.3 have been studied to examine the doping region of interest for both high and low temperature thermoelectric applications. Ferromagnetic, small polaron semiconductors are found in both series of compounds. GaxCu1-xCr2Se4 shows a metal insulator transition, from a p-type metal at x=0 to a p-type and then n-type semiconductor as x crosses 1/2. The maximum figure of merit ZT is of order 0.1. CuxZn1-xCr2Se4 transitions from a p-type semiconductor to a p-type metal as x increases.
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Received: 9 February 2001 / Reviewed and accepted: 9 April 2001
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Snyder, G., Caillat, T. & Fleurial, JP. Thermoelectric Properties of Chalcogenides with the Spinel Structure. Mat Res Innovat 5, 67–73 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1007/s100190100133
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s100190100133