Enhanced thermoelectric properties of bismuth intercalated compounds BixTiS2

The thermoelectric properties of Bi intercalated compounds BixTiS2 have been investigated at the temperatures from 5 to 310 K. The results indicate that Bi intercalation into TiS2 leads to substantial decrease of its electrical resistivity (one order low for x=0.05 and two orders low for x=0.15, 0.25 at 300 K) and lattice thermal conductivity (22, 115 and 158% low at 300 K for x=0.05, 0.15 and 0.25, respectively). Specially, the figure of merit, ZT, of lightly intercalated compound Bi0.05TiS2 has been improved at all temperatures investigated, and specifically reaches 0.03 at 300 K, which is about twice as large as that of TiS2.