Thermoelectric characteristics of glass fibers coated with ZnO and Al-doped ZnO

Abstract

In this study, we investigate the thermoelectric characteristics of glass fibers coated with bare and Al-doped ZnO (ZnO:Al). The ZnO- and ZnO:Al-coated fibers generate maximum Seebeck voltages of -478.3 and -1057.8 mu V at temperature differences of 4.5 and 4.3 K, respectively. The Seebeck coefficient increases but the electrical conductivity decreases upon doping of Al ions into ZnO. The grain boundaries present on the ZnO:Al-coated fibers have an adverse effect on their electrical conductivity, but contribute to their increased Seebeck coefficient. The power factor of the ZnO:Al-coated fibers is over three times as large as that of the ZnO-coated fibers. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.