Investigation of the thermoelectric properties of Fe1-xCoxTe2 preparation by solid-state reaction

Abstract

The substitution-type compound Fe1-xCoxTe2 (x = 0-1) was successfully synthesized via solid-state reaction, and the variation patterns of its electrical properties with varying preparation temperatures and Co substitution levels (x) were investigated. The study demonstrates that single-phase Fe1-xCoxTe2 compounds can be prepared via the solid-state reaction method. The internal microstructure of the samples is complex, with grain sizes around 10 μm and numerous uneven micropores, whose diameters range from approximately 1 to 20 μm. The Seebeck coefficient of the samples decreases significantly as x increases, and so does the resistivity. A maximum power factor of 274.21 μW·m−1·K−2 is obtained for the Fe0.2Co0.8Te2 sample at a preparation temperature of 863 K.