Thermoelectric Properties of Variants of CuMnTe with Spinel-Related Structure.

Thermoelectric properties of CuMnTe, which is antiferromagnetic with a Néel temperature T = 50 K and crystallizes in a spinel-related structure, have been investigated comprehensively here. The phase transition occurring at temperatures 463 and 723 K is studied by high-temperature X-ray diffraction (XRD) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and its effect on thermoelectric properties is examined. Hypothetically CuMnTe is semiconducting according to the formula (Cu)(Mn)(Te), while experimentally it shows p-type metallic conduction behavior, exhibiting electrical conductivity σ = 2500 Ω cm and Seebeck coefficient α = 20 μV K at 325 K.