The p-type Mg 2 Li x Si 0.4 Sn 0.6 thermoelectric materials synthesized by a B 2 O 3 encapsulation method using Li 2 CO 3 as the doping agent

This paper presents a facile synthetic procedure for p-type Mg 2 Si 0.4 Sn 0.6 thermoelectric material. The B 2 O 3 encapsulation method was used for synthesis, and Li 2 CO 3 was used as the doping agent. These samples showed electrical conductivities and Seebeck coefficients comparable to samples doped with pure Li, but the MgO produced during the carbonate reaction had significant influence on the lattice thermal conductivity of the materials. A peak ZT ∼ 0.7 was obtained in the Mg 2 Li 0.025 Si 0.4 Sn 0.6 sample.