Structural, transport, and thermoelectric properties of electron beam-irradiated Bi 1.2 Pb 0.33 Sr 1.54 Ca 2.06 Co 3 O y cobalties

Electron beam (EB) irradiation has been extensively studied as a tool for tailoring the structural and electrical properties of a material. In this work, the influence of EB irradiation on the structural and transport properties of p-type thermoelectric Bi_1.2Pb_0.33Sr_1.54Ca_2.06Co_3O_y misfit cobalties has been investigated. The EB doses range from 10 to 50 kGy . The X-ray diffraction patterns are analysed using Rietveld refinement, which revealed that pristine and irradiated samples possess a misfit-layered crystal structure composed of two monoclinic subsystems with different b-axis lengths. The EB irradiation caused the modification in lattice parameters, resulting in a moderate increase in misfitness (b 1 /b 2 ) in the structures. Furthermore, the increase in EB irradiation dosages led to decreases in resistivity and an increase in the Seebeck coefficient, which can be attributed to the misfitness (b 1 /b 2 ). The highest power factor is noted in the 50 kGy EB-irradiated sample possessing a value of 284.51 µW/mK 2 at 224K and may be considered a promising material for thermoelectric device applications.