Complex bismuth chalcogenides as thermoelectrics

A solid state chemistry synthetic approach towards identifying new materials with potentially superior thermoelectric properties is presented. Materials with complex compositions and structures also have complex electronic structures which may give rise to high thermoelectric powers and at the same time possess low thermal conductivities. The structures and thermoelectric properties of several new promising compounds of K-Bi-S, K-Bi-Se, and Cs-Bi-Te are discussed.