Li-Doped Nickel Oxide as a Thermoelectric Material

Thermoelectric properties of ceramic samples of NiO doped with Li are studied in the temperature range of 450–1280 K, with different Li contents. The substitution of Li for Ni atoms in a cubic NiO lattice results in a high thermoelectric power factor over a wide temperature range. Furthermore, Li substitution decreased the thermal conductivity resulting in an increase in the thermoelectric figure of merit, Z = 0.75 ×10-4 K-1 over 1000 K, suggesting that NiO is a promising oxide-base material for high-temperature thermoelectric devices.