Growth of Cu-doped SnSe Crystal and its Thermoelectric Properties

Author of the article:JIN Min

Author's Workplace：1. College of Materials, Shanghai Dianji University, Shanghai 201306, China; 2. State Key Laboratory of Crystal Materials, Shandong University, Jinan 250100, China

Key Words：SnSe crystal; Cu-doped; Bridgman method; thermoelectric properties

Abstract：The Cu-doped SnSe crystal with a standard Pnma space group structure was successfully prepared by the Bridgman method, with a size of approximately φ18 mm×55 mm and an even distribution of Cu element in the crystal. The crystal is a P-type semiconductor material, with a minimum conductivity of 4.53 S·cm-1 near 600 K and a carrier concentration of 1.69 cm×1 019 cm at 830 K. The maximum Seebeck coefficient is 739.5 μV·K-1, appearing near 500 K. The power factor PF always increases with increasing temperature, and the value is 4.80 μW·cm-1·K-2 at 830 K. The thermoelectric performance ZT reaches the highest value of 0.83 near 800 K, indicating that it is a promising thermoelectric material at medium temperature.