Thermoelectric Transport Properties of Cd_xBi_yGe_1–x–yTe Alloys

Band convergence has been proven as an effective approach for enhancing thermoelectric performance, particularly in p-type IV–VI semiconductors, where the superior electronic performance originates from the contributions of both L and Σ band valleys when they converge to have a small energy offset. When alloying with cubic IV–VI semiconductors, CdTe has been found as an effective agent for achieving such a band convergence. This work focuses on the effect of CdTe-alloying on the thermoelectric transport properties of GeTe, where the carrier concentration can be tuned in a broad range through Bi-doping on Ge site. It is found that CdTe-alloying indeed helps to converge the valence bands of GeTe in both low-T rhombohedral and high-T cubic phases for an increase in Seebeck coefficient with a decrease in mobility. In addition, the strong phonon scattering due to the existence of high-concentration Cd/Ge and Bi/Ge substitutions leads the lattice thermal conductivity to be reduced to as low as 0.6 W/(m-K). These lead to an effectively increased average thermoelectric figure of merit (ZTave ∼ 1.2) at 300–800 K, which is higher than that of many IV–VI materials with CdTe-alloying or alternatively with MnTe-, MgTe-, SrTe-, EuTe-, or YbTe-alloying for a similar band convergence effect.