Enhanced high-temperature thermoelectric properties of Ce- and Dy-doped ZnO for power generation

• The introduction of CeO2 and Dy2O3 to ZnO increases the electrical conductivity.
• Maximal power factor (4.46 × 10−4 Wm-1 K−2 at 800 °C) is attained for Zn0.995Dy0.005O.
• Addition of Dy2O3 is effective for improving the thermoelectric properties of ZnO.

The incorporation of CeO2 and Dy2O3 to ZnO leads to a marked increase in the electrical conductivity. The absolute values of the Seebeck coefficients of Zn1−xCexO and Zn1−xDyxO increase with CeO2 and Dy2O3 contents up to x = 0.003 and 0.005, respectively, and then decrease with further increases of their concentrations. The highest power factor (4.46 × 10−4 Wm−1 K−2 at 800 °C) is attained for Zn0.995Dy0.005O. The power factor is approximately 56 times larger than that of ZnO (0.08 × 10−4 Wm−1 K−2 at 800 °C). The introduction of a small amount of Dy2O3 is highly effective for improving the thermoelectric properties of ZnO.