Thermoelectric properties of PbTe prepared at high pressure and high temperature

Abstract

Lead telluride (PbTe) with rock-salt structure was successfully obtained by a high-pressure and high-temperature (HPHT) method. The orientation of the PbTe samples varies with pressure increase. The results—a decrease in the Seebeck coefficient, resistivity and thermal conductivity of PbTe with pressure but an increase in the thermoelectric power figure σS2—indicate that the figure of merit Z of PbTe samples can be improved several times over by using HPHT.