Enhanced Thermoelectricity in High-Temperature ß-Phase Copper(I) Selenides Embedded with Cu2Te Nanoclusters.

We report remarkably enhanced thermoelectric performance of Te doped Cu2Se in midtemperature range. Through ball-milling process followed by spark plasma sintering (SPS), nanoscale Cu2Te clusters were embeded in the matrix of Cu2Se, inducing a drastic enhancement of thermoelectric performance by reducing the thermal conductivity without degrading the power factor. A large ZT value of 1.9 was achieved at 873 K for Cu2Se1.9Te0.1, which is about 2 times larger than that of the pure Cu2Se. The nanoscale heat management by Cu2Te nanoclusters in superionic conductors opens up an avenue for thermoelectric materials research.