Improving the photo-thermoelectric performance of CuAlO2 via doping with Bi

Abstract

The photothermoelectric (PTE) effect enables the conversion of temperature differences induced by absorbed light to electrical voltages. For the first time, we investigated the effect of Bi doping on the photothermoelectric properties of CuAlO2. In this study, delafossite CuAl1-xBixO2 (x = 0.01, 0.02, 0.03, 0.04, and 0.06) powders were synthesised. X-ray diffraction and X-ray absorption spectroscopy results indicated that the doping limit of Bi content was approximately 2.6–2.7 at% (x = 0.026–0.027). At x = 0.02, we successfully demonstrated the increase of electrical conductivity due to the reduced effective mass and the increased hole concentration, the increase of optical absorption due to the reduced band gaps, and lower thermal conductivity resulting from mass and strain fluctuations. At a Bi content of 2 at%, the photovoltage signals increased compared with the undoped CuAlO2. These results indicated that Bi doping could potentially improve the PTE properties of CuAlO2.