http://authors.library.caltech.edu/11700/ Thermoelectric performance of lanthanum telluride produced via mechanical alloying May, Andrew Fleurial, Jean-Pierre Snyder, G. Jeffrey Caltech Library Services Lanthanum telluride (La3−xTe4) has been synthesized via mechanical alloying and characterized for thermoelectric performance. This work confirms prior reports of lanthanum telluride as a good high-temperature thermoelectric material, with zT~1.1 obtained at 1275 K. The thermoelectric performance is found to be better than that of SiGe, the current state-of-the-art high-temperature n-type thermoelectric material. Inherent self-doping of the system allows control over carrier concentration via sample stoichiometry. Prior high-temperature syntheses were prone to solute rejection in liquid and vapor phases, which resulted in inhomogeneous chemical composition and carrier concentration. The low-temperature synthesis provides homogeneous samples with acceptable control of the stoichiometry, and thus allows a thorough examination of the transition from a heavily doped degenerate semiconductor to a nondegenerate semiconductor. The effect of carrier concentration on the Hall mobility, Seebeck coefficient, thermal and electrical conductivity, lattice thermal conductivity, and thermoelectric compatibility are examined for 0.03<=x<=0.33. American Physical Society 2008-09-15 Article PeerReviewed application/pdf http://authors.library.caltech.edu/11700/1/MAYprb08.pdf http://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechAUTHORS:MAYprb08 May, Andrew and Fleurial, Jean-Pierre and Snyder, G. Jeffrey (2008) Thermoelectric performance of lanthanum telluride produced via mechanical alloying. Physical Review B, 78 (12). Art. No. 125205. ISSN 1098-0121 http://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechAUTHORS:MAYprb08 <http://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechAUTHORS:MAYprb08> http://authors.library.caltech.edu/11700/http://authors.library.caltech.edu/11700/1/