Preparation and thermoelectric property of highly oriented Al-doped ZnO ceramics by a high magnetic field

Highly oriented Al-doped ZnO ceramics were prepared by a high magnetic field method and their anisotropic thermoelectric properties were examined. The c-axis oriented specimen along the ab-plane showed a higher electrical conductivity compared to the a-axis and non-oriented specimens as a result of high electron mobility. On the other hand, the-differences in the Seebeck coefficients and thermal conductivities between oriented and non-oriented specimens were a small. Consequently, the dimensionless figure of merit of the c-axis oriented specimen increased by about 30% compared to the other specimens.