Abstract

The structure, morphology, transport, and optical properties of Ge-doped antimony selenide alloys prepared by the melt quenching method with the chemical composition Sb₆₅Se_35-xGe_x (0 ≤ x ≤ 20) were investigated. Structural studies using an X-ray Diffraction (XRD) pattern verified the polycrystalline existence of the synthesized compounds. Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope (FESEM) images demonstrate the dense microstructure of smaller particles in Ge-doped Sb₆₅Se₃₅ compounds. The EDS technique was used to perform quantitative analysis on the undoped and Ge-doped Sb₆₅Se₃₅ materials. The Seebeck coefficient, electrical conductivity, and power factor are examined in the ambient temperature range of 100-400K. The findings show that all Ge-substituted materials are n-type thermoelectric components across the entire measurement temperature range. The samples are degenerate semiconductors, according to electrical conductivity measurements. We also computed the power factor for various samples to assess their suitability for thermoelectric applications.

Keywords:Ge-doped Sb₆₅Se₃₅; XRD; The electrical conductivity; Seebeck coefficient; Power factor