Abstract
We report on the thermal behavior and thermoelectric properties of bulk chalcogenide glasses in the systems CuxAs40−xTe60 (20 ≤ x ≤ 32.5) and CuxAs40−xTe60−ySey, (0 ≤ y ≤ 9) synthesized by conventional melt-quenching techniques. The thermal stability of these glasses was probed by differential scanning calorimetry to determine the characteristic Tg and ΔT temperatures, both of which increasing noticeably with y. Thermoelectric properties were found to be mainly influenced by the Cu concentration with respect to the Se content. The thermal conductivity is practically composition-independent throughout the compositional range covered. A maximum ZT value of 0.02 at 300K increasing to 0.06 at 375 K was achieved for the composition Cu30As10Te54Se6.