Band structure modification and multi-scale phonon scattering synergistically boosts the thermoelectric performance of antimony incorporated MoS2

Molybdenum disulphide (MoS2) is a well-known functional material, used in various applications. In this work, antimony (Sb) incorporated MoS2 is prepared by hydrothermal method. X-ray diffraction confirms the successful incorporation of Sb on the matrix material. Compositional analysis reveals the shift in energy bands which attributed to the influence of Sb incorporation on MoS2. Thermoelectric investigation of as synthesized samples discloses the enhancement in electrical conductivity of around 107 times when compared to pristine MoS2. Seebeck coefficient as well as Hall measurement results validated p-type nature of all the samples. Lowering of thermal conductivity and enhancement in electrical conductivity of Sb incorporated samples results in the improvement of figure of merit. Thus, the material has more prospect to be an effective thermoelectric material.