Bi2Te3 related compounds show the best thermoelectric properties at room temperature. However, n-type Bi2Te2.7Se0.3 showed no improvement on ZT values. To improve the thermolectric propterties of n-type Bi2Te2.7Se0.3, this research has Cu-doped n-type powder. This study focused on effects of Cu-doping method on the thermoelectric properties of n-type materials, and evaluated the comparison between the Cu chemical and mechanical doping. The synthesized powder was manufactured by the spark plasma sintering(SPS). The thermoelectric properties of the sintered body were evaluated by measuring their Seebeck coefficient, electrical resistivity, thermal conductivity, and hall coefficient. An introduction of a small amount of Cu reduced the thermal conductivity and improved the electrical properties with Seebeck coefficient. The authors provided the optimal concentration of Cu0.1Bi1.99Se0.3Te2.7. A figure of merit (ZT) value of 1.22 was obtained for Cu0.1Bi1.9Se0.3Te2.7 at 373K by Cu chemical doping, which was obviously higher than those of Cu0.1Bi1.9Se0.3Te2.7 at 373K by Cu mechanical doping (ZT=0.56) and Cu-free Bi2Se0.3Te2.7 (ZT=0.51).

Carbon nanotube-dispersed bismuth telluride matrix (CNT/Bi2Te3) nanopowders were synthesized by chem- ical routes followed by a ball-milling process. The microstructures of the synthesized CNT/Bi2Te3 nanopowders showed the characteristic microstructure of CNTs dispersed among disc-shaped Bi2Te3 nanopowders with as an average size of 500 nm in-plane and a few tens of nm in thickness. The prepared nanopowders were sintered into composites with a homogeneous dispersion of CNTs in a Bi2Te3 matrix. The dimensionless figure-of-merit of the composite showed an enhanced value compared to that of pure Bi2Te3 at the room temperature due to the reduced thermal conductivity and increased electrical conductivity with the addition of CNTs.