Influence of SnO2 addition on the thermoelectric properties of Zn1 − xSnxO (0.01 ≤ x ≤ 0.05)

The grain size and the density of the Zn1 − xSnxO (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.05) samples decreased with increasing SnO2 content. The addition of a small amount of SnO2 (x ≤ 0.01) to ZnO led to an increase in both the electrical conductivity and the absolute value of the Seebeck coefficient, resulting in a significant increase in the power factor. The thermoelectric power factor was maximized to a value of 1.25 × 10−3 Wm−1 K−2 at 1073 K for the Zn0.99Sn0.01O sample.