Thermoelectric effects in solid solutions of TlInTe/sub 2/-TlPrTe/sub 2/ system

It may be expected that the thermoelectric figure of merit z of the TlInTe/sub 2/-TlPrTe/sub 2/ system reaches values of practical interest in some temperature range. The authors report on the thermoelectric figure of merit for the indicated systems. The thermoelectric figure of merit, beginning at room temperature, increases and reaches a maximum at 700/degree/K of 2.24 /times/ 10/sup /minus/3/ K/sup /minus/1/. The increase in z may be associated with the effect of heavy holes. The large values of z in Tl/sub 2/InPrTe/sub 4/ indicates a complicated band structure associated with a low value of the lattice thermoconductivity for a charge carrier mobility of approx. 2 /times/ 10/sup /minus/2/ m/sup 2//V /times/ sec.