Enhancement of thermoelectric power factor in Cu2Se superionic conductor via high energy electron beam irradiation

The modification in the Cu2Se thermoelectric system by electron beam irradiation has been carried out in this work. Samples were prepared using the solid-state reaction technique. The prepared samples were irradiated with various energy dosages viz. 50, 100, and 150 kGy. XRD studies reveal that the synthesized samples crystallized in a monoclinic structure. The micro-hardness of the samples decreased with an increase in irradiation dosage. The sample irradiated at 100 kGy dose exhibits the lowest electrical resistivity, moderate Seebeck coefficient, and highest power factor.