Effect of band structure adjustment based of Cu site on the thermoelectric properties of BiCuSeO

Abstract The effect of Ti doped at Cu site on the thermoelectric properties of BiCuSeO was studied by experimental method and first principles calculation. The results show that Ti doping can cause the lattice contraction and decrease the lattice constant. Ti doping can increase the band gap and lengthen the Cu/Ti-Se bond, resulting in the decrease of carrier concentration. Ti doping can reduce the effective mass and the Bi-Se bond length, correspondingly improve the carrier mobility. Ti doping can decrease the density of states of Cu-3d and Se-4p orbitals at the top of valence band, but Ti-4p orbitals can obviously increase the density of states at the top of valence band and finally increase the electrical conductivity in the whole temperature range. With the decrease of effective mass, Ti doping would reduce the Seebeck coefficient, but the gain effect caused by the increase of electrical conductivity is more than the benefit reduction effect caused by the decrease of Seebeck coefficient, and the power factor shows an upward trend. Ti doping can reduce Young's modulus, lead to the increase of defect scattering and strain field, correspondingly reduce the lattice thermal conductivity and total thermal conductivity. It is greatly increased for the ZT values in the middle and high temperature range, with the highest value of 1.04 at 873 K.