This paper presents tables of key thermoelectric properties, which define thermoelectric conversion efficiency, for a wide range of inorganic materials. The 12 families of materials included in these tables are primarily selected on the basis of well established, internationally-recognised performance and their promise for current and future applications: Tellurides, Skutterudites, Half Heuslers, Zintls, Mg-Sb Antimonides, Clathrates, FeGa3–type materials, Actinides and Lanthanides, Oxides, Sulfides, Selenides, Silicides, Borides and Carbides. As thermoelectric properties vary with temperature, data are presented at room temperature to enable ready comparison, and also at a higher temperature appropriate to peak performance. An individual table of data and commentary are provided for each family of materials plus source references for all the data.

By applying the melt-centrifugation, porosity and dislocations are introduced in the microstructure of the n-type Zintl phase Mg3+xSb1.5Bi0.49Te0.01leading to significantly low κl (∼ 0.33 W m−1 K−1 at 723 K) and enhanced zT (∼ 1.64 at 723 K).

The binary copper chalcogenides Cu 2−δ X (X = S, Se, and Te) have recently gained significant interest due to their high thermoelectric performance at moderate temperatures. In an effort to unveil new Cu-based compounds with promising thermoelectric potential, Cu 3−x Te 2 rickardite mineral emerged as a candidate based on a purely text mining approach applied by a machine learning method. Polycrystalline samples of Cu 3−x Te 2 within the homogeneity range (x = 0.1, 0.2) were successfully synthesized from the raw elements by a solid-state method. High-temperature powder Xray diffraction combined with differential scanning calorimetry and specific heat measurements showed several reversible phase transitions at around 458, 640, and 647 K. Signatures of these transitions were observed on the electronic and thermal transport properties, measured over a broad range of temperatures (5−733 K). The transition undergone by this compound at 647 K results in a crossover from metallic-like to semiconducting-like properties. The combination of high power factor and low thermal conductivity in the high-temperature phase results in improved thermoelectric performances with a peak dimensionless thermoelectric figure-of-merit zT of ∼0.14 at 733 K. The synthetic rickardite mineral is an exciting candidate to be used as a phase change material in broad application areas such as in waste heat harvesting and photovoltaic systems.