Low-temperature synthesis and thermoelectric properties of n-type PbTe

Abstract

n-Type PbTe compounds were synthesized at temperatures as low as 430 C. After synthesis, the materials were ground, cold pressed and sintered at 600 C. The effect of this low-temperature synthesis on the structural features and thermoelectric properties of as-prepared and PbI2-doped materials was investigated for the first time. The Seebeck coefficient and electrical and thermal conductivity were measured in the temperature range 2 K ≤ T ≤ 610 K. The results show that all materials exhibit n-type conduction and the thermoelectric properties are improved by doping. ZT values reach 0.5 at 610 K and the discrepancies with the literature are discussed. © 2013 TMS.