N-type Bi100−xSbx alloys have the highest thermoelectric figure of merit (zT) of all materials below 200 K; here, we investigate how filling multiple valence band pockets at the T and Η-points of the Brillouin zone produces high zT’s in p-type Sn-doped material. This approach, theoretically predicted to potentially give zT > 1 in Bi, was used in PbTe. We report thermopower, electrical and thermal conductivity (2 to 400 K) measurements of single crystals with 12 ≤ x ≤ 37 and polycrystals (x = 50-90), higher Sb concentrations than previous studies. We obtain a 60% improvement in zT to 0.13.

1.
G. E.
Smith
and
R.
Wolfe
,
J. Appl. Phys.
33
,
841
(
1962
).
2.
Y. S.
Hor
and
R. J.
Cava
,
J. Alloys Compd.
479
,
368
(
2009
).
3.
W. M.
Yim
and
A.
Amith
,
Solid-State Electron.
15
,
1141
(
1972
).
4.
M.
Sakurai
,
T.
Ono
,
I.
Yoshida
, and
S.
Tanuma
,
17th International Conference on Thermoelectrics
(
1998
), p.
134
.
5.
J. W.
Sharp
,
G. S.
Nolas
, and
E. H.
Volckmann
,
Mat. Res. Soc. Symp. Proc.
478
,
91
(
1997
).
6.
T.
Thonhauser
,
T. J.
Scheidemantel
, and
J. O.
Sofo
,
Appl. Phys. Lett.
85
,
588
(
2004
).
7.
Y.
Pei
,
X.
Shi
,
A.
LaLonde
,
H.
Wang
,
L.
Chen
, and
G. J.
Snyder
,
Nature (London)
473
,
66
(
2011
).
8.
J. P.
Heremans
and
O. P.
Hansen
,
J. Phys. C: Solid State Phys.
16
,
4623
(
1983
).
9.
J. P.
Heremans
and
O. P.
Hansen
,
J. Phys. C: Solid State Phys.
12
,
3483
(
1979
).
10.
N. B.
Brandt
,
R.
Hermann
,
G. I.
Golysheva
,
L. I.
Devyatkova
,
D.
Kusnik
,
W.
Kraak
, and
Ya. G.
Ponomarev
,
Sov. Phys. JETP
56
,
1247
(
1982
).
11.
N. B.
Brandt
,
E. A.
Svistova
, and
M. V.
Semenov
,
Sov. Phys. JETP
32
,
238
(
1971
).
12.
S.
Epstein
and
H. J.
Juretschke
,
Phys. Rev.
129
,
1148
(
1963
).
13.
B.
Lenoir
,
M.
Cassart
,
J.-P.
Michenaud
,
H.
Scherrer
, and
S.
Scherrer
,
J. Phys. Chem. Solids
57
,
89
(
1996
).
14.
H.
Noguchi
,
H.
Kitagawa
,
T.
Kiyabu
,
K.
Hasezaki
, and
Y.
Noda
,
J. Phys. Chem. Solids
68
,
91
(
2007
).
15.
Y. C.
Akgöz
and
G. A.
Saunders
,
J. Phys. C. Solid State Phys.
8
,
1387
(
1975
);
Y. C.
Akgöz
and
G. A.
Saunders
,
J. Phys. C. Solid State Phys.
8
,
2962
(
1975
).
16.
17.
J. P.
Issi
,
Aust. J. Phys.
32
,
585
(
1979
).
18.
C.
Uher
,
J. Phys. F: Met. Phys.
9
,
2399
(
1979
).
You do not currently have access to this content.