Strategy to optimize the overall thermoelectric properties of SnTe via compositing with its property-counter CuInTe2

To optimize the overall properties of SnTe, we composited SnTe with the other compound with opposite performance, CuInTe2 is a good choice. The most optimized properties can be obtained in CuSnmInTem+2 when m = 7, and an enhanced figure of merit ZT can be obtained, ∼1.0 at 873 K, which is a three-fold increase for pure CuInTe2 and one-fold increase for pure SnTe.236