title: Giant Seebeck effect in Ge-doped SnSe.
abstract: Thermoelectric materials may contribute in the near future as new alternative sources of sustainable energy. Unprecedented thermoelectric properties in p-type SnSe single crystals have been recently reported, accompanied by extremely low thermal conductivity in polycrystalline samples. In order to enhance thermoelectric efficiency through proper tuning of this material we report a full structural characterization and evaluation of the thermoelectric properties of novel Ge-doped SnSe prepared by a straightforward arc-melting method, which yields nanostructured polycrystalline samples. Ge does not dope the system in the sense of donating carriers, yet the electrical properties show a semiconductor behavior with resistivity values higher than that of the parent compound, as a consequence of nanostructuration, whereas the Seebeck coefficient is higher and thermal conductivity lower, favorable to a better ZT figure of merit.
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales de Madrid, C.S.I.C., Cantoblanco, E-28049 Madrid, Spain.|Sfax University, National School of Engineers, B. P. W 3038, Tunisia.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gharsallah
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales de Madrid, C.S.I.C., Cantoblanco, E-28049 Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Serrano-Sánchez
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales de Madrid, C.S.I.C., Cantoblanco, E-28049 Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: N M
authors.initials: NM
authors.lastname: Nemes
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales de Madrid, C.S.I.C., Cantoblanco, E-28049 Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: F J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Mompeán
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales de Madrid, C.S.I.C., Cantoblanco, E-28049 Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Martínez
authors.affiliation: Institut Laue-Langevin, B.P. 156, F-38042 Grenoble Cedex 9, France.
authors.forename: M T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Fernández-Díaz
authors.affiliation: Sfax University, National School of Engineers, B. P. W 3038, Tunisia.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Elhalouani
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales de Madrid, C.S.I.C., Cantoblanco, E-28049 Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Alonso