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Electrical, Thermal, and Magnetic Characterization of Natural Tetrahedrites–Tennantites of Different Origin

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Abstract

Naturally occurring sulfosalt minerals of the tetrahedrite–tennantite series ((Cu,Fe,Zn,Ag,Hg)12(Sb,As)4S13) are studied because of their potential use as basic components in the manufacture of thermoelectric devices for moderate-temperature applications. In the work reported herein, the chemical, crystallographic, thermoelectric, and magnetic properties of four specimens from different ores from Europe and America were exhaustively characterized. Our study revealed that these natural tetrahedrites usually behave as low-to-moderately doped p-type semiconductors with low mobility. Their carrier charge transport is thus located at the edge between hopping and itinerant mechanisms. The magnetic study, probing the behavior of the constituent iron species, revealed that an insignificant part of the iron occurs as ferromagnetic impurities. The dominant iron species is Fe2+ ions with antiferromagnetic interactions. The maximum value of ZT observed was 0.13 at 700 K; this value is impaired, primarily, by high electrical resistivity.

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Acknowledgement

This work was performed with the financial support of the Grant Agency of the Czech Republic (Project Nos. GA13-17538S and GB14-36566G) and the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

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Levinsky, P., Vaney, JB., Candolfi, C. et al. Electrical, Thermal, and Magnetic Characterization of Natural Tetrahedrites–Tennantites of Different Origin. J. Electron. Mater. 45, 1351–1357 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11664-015-4032-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11664-015-4032-x

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