An Update Review on N-Type Layered Oxyselenide Thermoelectric Materials

Compared with traditional thermoelectric materials, layered oxyselenide thermoelectric materials consist of nontoxic and lower-cost elements and have better chemical and thermal stability. Recently, several studies on n-type layered oxyselenide thermoelectric materials, including BiCuSeO, Bi₂O₂Se and Bi₆Cu₂Se₄O₆, were reported, which stimulates us to comprehensively summarize these researches. In this short review, we begin with various attempts to realize an n-type BiCuSeO system. Then, we summarize several methods to optimize the thermoelectric performance of Bi₂O₂Se, including carrier engineering, band engineering, microstructure design, et al. Next, we introduce a new type of layered oxyselenide Bi₆Cu₂Se₄O₆, and n-type transport properties can be obtained through halogen doping. At last, we propose some possible research directions for n-type layered oxyselenide thermoelectric materials.