Large enhancement of thermoelectric performance in CuInTe2 upon compression

Thermoelectric materials can generate electricity directly from waste heat and are thus considered as renewable energy. The efficiency of a thermoelectric material is described as a dimensionless figure of merit, zT = σS2/κT, where σ is the electrical conductivity, S is the Seebeck coefficient, κ is the thermal conductivity, and T is the absolute temperature. By compressing a p-type CuInTe2 by using diamond anvil cells, the researchers found over five times increase of the zT value at room temperature and high pressures. This finding offers an effective method to improve zT of the existing materials for the future technological applications.