Thermoelectric Properties of Some Cerium Sulfide Semiconductors from 4° to 1300°K

Abstract

The thermal conductivity, Seebeck coefficient, and resistivity were measured for a series of sintered cerium sulfide compounds of the thorium phosphide structure. The compounds were in the composition range CeSx (1.33 ≤ x ≤ 1.5) and were prepared with and without strontium sulfide doping. The electrical resistivity and Seebeck coefficient increased with temperature for all samples, similar in appearance to the temperature dependency of a metal. The addition of strontium sulfide to compositions for (x > 1.33) usually led to a decrease in the resistivity and Seebeck coefficient while maintaining the same temperature dependence. The thermoelectric ``figure of merit'' is given for one of the samples and some remarks are made on the conduction mechanism in the system.