CsBi4Te6:: A high-performance thermoelectric material for low-temperature applications

Thermoelectric (Peltier) heat pumps are capable of refrigerating solid or fluid objects, and unlike conventional vapor compressor systems, they can be miniaturized without Loss of efficiency. More efficient thermoelectric materials need to be identified, especially for Low-temperature applications in electronics and devices. The material CsBi4Te6 has been synthesized and its properties have been studied. When doped appropriately, it exhibits a high thermoelectric figure of merit below room temperature (ZT(max) similar to 0.8 at 225 kelvin). At cryogenic temperatures, the thermoelectric properties of CsBi4Te6 appear to match or exceed those of Bi2-xSbxTe3-ySey alloys.