Enhanced Thermoelectric Performance of Mg-Doped AgSbTe by Inhibiting the Formation of AgTe.

The existence of AgTe has always been an obstacle for p-type thermoelectric material AgSbTe to improve its thermoelectric performance. In this work, AgSbMgTe samples are synthesized by melting-slow-cooling and then spark plasma sintering (SPS). Through increasing the solubility of AgTe in the AgSbTe matrix by Mg doping, the formation of AgTe is inhibited.