High-temperature thermoelectric properties of Hg-doped CuInTe2

Polycrystalline samples of composition CuIn1−xHgxTe2 (x = 0–0.21) were synthesized from elements of 5N purity using a solid state reaction. The phase purity of the products was verified by X-ray diffraction. Samples for transport property measurements were prepared using hot-pressing. The samples were characterized by measurement of the electrical conductivity, Hall coefficient, Seebeck coefficient, and thermal conductivity over a temperature range of 300–675 K. All samples show p-type conductivity. We discuss the influence of Hg substitution on the free carrier concentration and thermoelectric performance. The investigation of the thermoelectric properties shows up to a 40% improvement of ZT in the temperature range of 300–600 K.