Sb 2 Te 3 and In 0.2 Sb 1.8 Te 3 : A comparative study of thermoelectric and related properties

Abstract

Sb 2 Te 3 and its solid solutions with group III elements such as In are materials of current interest for their potential thermoelectric applications. Single crystals of Sb 2 Te 3 and In 0.2 Sb 1.8 Te 3 have been grown by the Bridgman method and their powder X-ray diffractograms obtained and indexed. The transport properties, namely electrical conductivity, Seebeck coefficient and thermal conductivity, as well as the optical bandgap of the alloys have been measured and are compared. The ternary alloy containing In has a smaller optical bandgap and lower electrical and thermal conductivity than Sb 2 Te 3, but a higher Seebeck coefficient.