Thermoelectric performance of Cu₂Se/SiC nanowire composites
摘要
This study demonstrates enhanced thermoelectric performance in Cu₂Se through optimized silicon carbide nanowire (SiC NW) doping. By combining mechanical alloying and spark plasma sintering, Cu₂Se/xSiC NW composites (x = 0 ~ 0.006) were synthesized. At 873 K, the 0.5 mol% SiC NW-doped sample achieved a high ZT of 1.1, attributed to a 21% reduction in thermal conductivity (1.10 Wm⁻1 K⁻1) via intensified phonon scattering, while maintaining a competitive power factor (1422 µWm⁻1 K⁻2). Structural analyses confirmed homogeneous SiC NWs dispersion without altering the Cu₂Se matrix phase. These findings highlight SiC NWs as effective defects for decoupling electron–phonon transport, advancing mid-temperature thermoelectric material design.