Effect of Carbon on the Thermoelectrical Properties of Copper Oxide-Based Composites

Abstract

The effect of carbon filler on the electrical resistance, thermopower and thermoelectric power factor of copper oxide-based composites has been studied. It is established, that thermoelectrical properties of investigated composites are determinated by interaction between filler and matrix materials at phase boundaries. This interraction leads to changes in the energy spectrum of charge carriers. It is found that in composites CuO – CNF (carbon nanofibers) the dependences of the electrical resistivity and the thermopower on the filler concentration are characteristic by s - like curves that are typical for percolation systems. While using fullerene as filler material the dependences of the electrical resistivity and the thermopower on the filler concentration cannot be explain within percolation theory