Thermoelectric properties of TiS₂-xPbSnS₃nanocomposites

Thermoelectric properties of micro-scale n-type TiS₂ceramics containing p-type PbSnS₃nanoparticles were investigated from 350 to 650 K. The addition of PbSnS₃caused a substantial enhancement of Seebeck coefficient and a decrease of electrical conductivity, primarily due to the decrease of carrier concentration, while keeping power factor almost non-deteriorated with PbSnS₃no more than 1 mol% in the composite. The electrical thermal conductivity was decreased with PbSnS₃addition. Moreover, the lattice thermal conductivity was suppressed most in the composite with 0.5 mol% PbSnS₃which was nano-scale dispersed mainly along the TiS₂grain boundaries. As a result, a maximum zT ∼0.44 at 650 K was obtained in TiS₂-0.5mol%PbSnS₃, ranking among the tops for TiS₂-based thermoelectrics so far.