Abstract
Carrier-doped CuFeS2 samples have been synthesized by a solid-state reaction (SSR) and the spark-plasma sintering (SPS) methods, and the relation between the synthesis conditions and the thermoelectric properties is shown. Samples prepared by SSR have a density less than 80 %, while SPS samples show a high density close to 100 %. This results in the great improvement to reduce the electrical resistivity (ρ) in the SPS samples. ρ is further reduced by the subsequent annealing. Seebeck coefficient S shows large negative values for all the samples. S of Fe – and Zn – doped CuFeS2 samples are almost independent to the sample preparation methods. As a result, power factor S2/ρ of the SPS and annealed samples have almost doubled from that of the SSR samples, reaching 1 mW/K2m at 400 K.
