Abstract

Incorporating a secondary phase represents a promising strategy for enhancing the thermoelectric performance of materials. In this study, CuInTe2 was modified with SnTe powders at various weight fractions (0, 0.5, 1, 2, 4 wt%) and subsequently synthesized via rapid microwave melting. The phase composition and microstructure of the resulting materials were systematically characterized. Structural analyses revealed that the introduction of SnTe induced the incorporation of Sn and Te into the CuInTe2 lattice, accompanied by a progressive contraction in lattice parameters. Owing to the spontaneous formation of intrinsic Sn vacancies in SnTe and the regulation of carrier concentration, electrical conductivity of up to 2.7 × 104 Sm−1 was achieved, representing a 1.7-fold increase over pristine CuInTe2. Coupled with a notable reduction in lattice thermal conductivity (0.9 Wm−1K−1 at 700 K), a maximum figure of merit of 0.44 was obtained for the CuInTe2-2 wt% SnTe sample. While the absolute zT value is moderate compared to state-of-the-art CuInTe2-based materials, this work establishes the feasibility of microwave melting combined with second-phase incorporation as a rapid and energy-efficient synthesis pathway for CuInTe2 modification. These results demonstrate that the introduction of SnTe is a viable strategy for enhancing the thermoelectric performance of CuInTe2.

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