Effect of SiC ceramics on thermoelectric properties of SiC/SnSe composites for solid-state thermoelectric applications

Tin selenide (SnSe) based thermoelectric materials with varying amounts of embedded silicon carbide (SiC) particles were fabricated, and their thermoelectric properties were investigated. The SiC particles were evenly distributed in the SnSe matrix, thereby leading to the formation of the SiC/SnSe composite samples. The introduction of SiC into the SnSe matrix improved the power factors, owing mainly to an increase in the Seebeck coefficient, and a decrease in the thermal conductivity arising from the formation of phonon-scattering centers. Consequently, a ZT of 0.125 (at 300 K) was obtained for the SiC/SnSe composite with a SiC content of 1 wt%; this value was larger than that of the pristine SnSe. The results of this study indicate that the introduction of SiC particles into the SnSe matrix constitutes an efficient strategy for achieving thermoelectric enhancement for solid-state applications.