Low temperature transport and thermal properties of half-Heusler alloy Zr0.25Hf0.25Ti0.5NiSn

The half-Heusler alloy Zr0.25Hf0.25Ti0.5NiSn was studied by electrical resistivity, Seebeck coefficient, Hall effect, thermal conductivity, and specific heat measurements, performed in the temperature range 2–300 K. The transport properties in all temperature range show that the alloy is a narrow-gap semiconducting material with good thermoelectric efficiency, the value of the figure of merit about 0.094 near room temperature. The multi-component in the alloy increases the atomic disorder between Ti and Zr (Hf, Sn) atoms, which has a strong influence on the electrical transport behaviors and the thermoelectric properties.