Abstract BiCuTeO is a promising thermoelectric material owing to its intrinsically low thermal conductivity and high carrier concentration. This study investigated the influence of stoichiometric oxygen deficiencies on the thermoelectric performance of BiCuTeO. Bulk BiCuTeO1−x (0.16 ≥ x) samples were prepared by a conventional solid state reaction and pelleted by hot pressing. Synchrotron X-ray diffraction, electron probe X-ray microanalysis, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy characterized the samples. A maximum value of 1.06 was achieved for the dimensionless figure of merit ZT at 673 K for BiCuTeO0.88, which is approximately 49% better than the current maximal ZT value for BiCuTeO. The power factor was noticeably improved owing to increases in the electrical conductivity and Seebeck coefficient. Moreover, the optimal oxygen deficiency could introduce nanoparticles, resulting in reduced thermal conductivity. The findings will be important for the future development of metal oxide thermoelectric materials for use in practical thermoelectric devices.

中文翻译：

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通过降低氧含量实现了 BiCuTeO 的热电性能的高度改进

摘要 BiCuTeO 由于其固有的低热导率和高载流子浓度而成为一种很有前途的热电材料。本研究调查了化学计量氧不足对 BiCuTeO 热电性能的影响。块状 BiCuTeO1-x (0.16 ≥ x) 样品通过常规固态反应制备并通过热压造粒。同步加速器 X 射线衍射、电子探针 X 射线微量分析、扫描电子显微镜和透射电子显微镜表征样品。BiCuTeO0.88 的无量纲品质因数 ZT 在 673 K 时达到了 1.06 的最大值，比目前 BiCuTeO 的最大 ZT 值好大约 49%。由于电导率和塞贝克系数的增加，功率因数显着提高。而且，最佳缺氧可能会引入纳米颗粒，导致导热率降低。这些发现对于未来开发用于实际热电器件的金属氧化物热电材料具有重要意义。