Thermoelectric and Transport Properties of N-Type Bi2-xSbxTe3-ySey Solid Solutions

Bi2-xSbxTe3-ySey (x = 0.1, 0.2 and y = 0.15, 0.3) solid solutions were prepared using encapsulated melting and hot pressing. The lattice constants decreased with increases in the Sb and the Se contents, which revealed the successful formation of solid solutions. The relative densities of the hot-pressed specimens were 95-98%. All specimens exhibited n-type conduction at temperatures from 323 K to 523 K, and the electrical conductivity slightly decreased with increasing temperature. With an increase in the Se content, the Seebeck coefficient increased while the electrical and the thermal conductivities decreased; thus, the dimensionless figure of merit could be improved. The maximum dimensionless figure of merit ZTmax = 0.89 was obtained at 423 K for Bi1.8Sb0.2Te2.7Se0.3. An increase in the Sb content resulted in a decrease in the lattice thermal conductivity because of an increase in alloy scattering, but its effect on the electrical properties was not superior to the effect of Se substitution. Therefore, Sb substitution could effectively control the thermal properties while Se substitution could effectively control the electrical properties.