Thermoelectric Properties of (1 − x)LaCoO3.(x)La0.95Sr0.05CoO3 composite

Thermopower in cobalt oxides has been a rich area of interest due to the existence of the different charge states along-with different spin states. In this report, we have systematically studied the structural and thermal transport properties of ($1-x$)LaCoO$_3$.($x$)La$_{0.95}$Sr$_{0.05}$CoO$_3$ composite. The Seebeck coefficient ($\alpha$) values for the composite increases at high temperatures compared to the LaCoO$_3$ (LCO) and La$_{0.95}$Sr$_{0.05}$CoO$_3$ (LSCO) systems. The electrical conductivity ($\sigma$) decreases with the increase in the LSCO fraction which may be attributed to the localization of charge carriers due to intersite diffusion. All the samples show increase in the value of $\sigma$ with increase in temperature. The thermal conductivity ($\kappa$) values decrease with the increase of LSCO content in the composite and the phonon thermal conductivity dominates over the total thermal conductivity. We observe a maximum value of figure of merit (ZT)$\sim$0.06 at 640\,K for $x=$0.05.