Thermoelectric properties of CuAlO2

Polycrystalline samples of CuAlO2 were prepared by a solid state reaction method. The mixture of CuO and Al2O3 powders was calcined at 1073 K for 2 h. The green compacts were sintered at 1433 or 1473 K for 20 h in air and then furnace cooled. The crystalline structure of the sintered CuAlO2 bodies was rhombohedral, R3¯m, along with a very small amount of CuO with a monoclinic structure. It was found that the thermoelectric properties of CuAlO2 ceramics were significantly dependent on sintering temperature. The power factor increased with increasing temperature. The values of the power factor measured at 1140 K for the CuAlO2 samples sintered at 1433 and 1473 K were 4.98 × 10−5 and 6.62 × 10−5 Wm−1 K−2, respectively.