Layered oxychalcogenide in the Bi-Cu-O-Se system as good thermoelectric materials

Since 2010, we have evidenced the very promising thermoelectric properties of layered oxychalcogenides, with parent compound BiCuSeO, which could be used in thermoelectric conversion systems in the 300-600 °C temperature range. These materials, that were first studied in the early 2000s for their optoelectronic properties, exhibit thermoelectric figure of merit values around 1.4 at 650 °C, which makes them the best lead- or tellurium-free p-type thermoelectric materials ever reported to date. In this paper, we will review the chemical, structural and physical properties of this family of materials, with an emphasis on the links between crystal structure, electronic structure and functional properties.