Realized high power factor and thermoelectric performance in Cu2SnSe3

Abstract New thermoelectric compounds Cu 2 Sn 1− x Fe x Se 3 (0 ≤  x  ≤ 0.2) have been investigated, and the results indicate that the electrical conductivity of Cu 2 Sn 1− x Fe x Se 3 ( x  > 0) is obviously enhanced by Fe doping due to the increased carriers concentration, and then the significant improved power factor is obtained. As a result, the figure of merit reaches 1.1 at ~820 K for Fe-doped compounds Cu 2 Sn 1− x Fe x Se 3 with x = 0.05 and 0.1 due to the higher power factor and moderate thermal conductivity, which is about 2.4 times that of pure Cu 2 SnSe 3 at the same temperature. Our results indicate that Fe-doped compounds Cu 2 Sn 1− x Fe x Se 3 can be hoped to utilize as a potential environmental thermoelectric materials.