Journal of Electronic Materials (2023) 52:3749–3758

https://doi.org/10.1007/s11664-023-10346-5

ORIGINAL RESEARCH ARTICLE

Thermoelectric Composite of ­(Bi0.98In0.02)2Te2.7Se0.3/Bi2Se3

with Enhanced Thermopower and Reduced Electrical Resistivity
Ganesh Shridhar Hegde1,2 · A. N. Prabhu2 · Suchitra Putran2 · Ashok Rao3 · K. Gurukrishna3 ·
U. Deepika Shanubhogue3

Received: 10 December 2022 / Accepted: 1 March 2023 / Published online: 21 March 2023
© The Author(s) 2023

Abstract
By using the solid-state reaction approach, composite polycrystalline samples of ­(Bi0.98In0.02)2Te2.7Se0.3/x%Bi2Se3 were
created with varying amounts of ­Bi2Se3, (x = 5%, 10%, 15%, and 20%). The hexagonal crystal structure of the composite
was revealed by x-ray diffraction (XRD) with a space group of R3m. The surface of the samples was seen to have second-
ary particles using a field emission scanning electronic microscope. Every sample displayed the typical semi-conducting
behaviour across the entire temperature range. In the complex ­(Bi0.98In0.02)2Te2.7Se0.3, it was found that bismuth was coor-
dinated with six selenium atoms and there were significant selenium vacancies. With an increase in bismuth selenide
concentration, the dissolution pattern shifted to a substitutional pattern. A two fold decrease in electrical resistivity for
­(Bi0.98In0.02)2Te2.7Se0.3/20%Bi2Se3 composition was seen compared to (­ Bi0.98In0.02)2Te2.7Se0.3/5%Bi2Se3. The granular material
was produced by sintering and scattering of potential barrier, a thermal process that increases the Seebeck coefficient. A 200%
increase was observed in thermopower for (­ Bi0.98In0.02)2Te2.7Se0.3/20%Bi2Se3 compared to (­ Bi0.98In0.02)2Te2.7Se0.3/5%Bi2Se3
compound.

* A. N. Prabhu
ashwatha.prabhu@manipal.edu
1
Department of Physics, Basic Science Research
Centre, KLE’s Society S. Nijalingappa College,
Rajajinagar, Bengaluru 560010, India
2
Department of Physics, Manipal Institute of Technology,
Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal 576104,
India
3
Centre for Clean Energy, Department of Physics, Manipal
Institute of Technology, Manipal Academy of Higher
Education, Manipal 576104, India

13
Vol.:(0123456789)
3750
Graphical Abstract
Keywords Polycrystal · sintering · X-ray diffraction (XRD) · scanning electron microscopy (SEM) · electrical properties
Introduction
The best thermoelectric (TE) figure of merit is found in bis-
muth telluride and its alloys, which are preferred materials
for solid-state cooling systems. Since thermoelectric cool-
ers do not need a compressor and are durable, dependable,
and silent, they can function without any moving parts or
compressors.1
The best TE materials now available are semiconduct-
ing materials such as ­Bi2Te3, and ­Bi2Se3, which have the
smallest dimensionless figure of merit (ZT) of around 1.2.2
Although these materials have been in use for more than
50 years, they continue to attract interest because it is pos-
sible to structurally alter them to increase their ZT values.
For instance, Kanatzidis et al.3 created cesium intercalated
bismuth telluride (­ CsBi4Te6) with ZT of 2.4 at room tem-
perature for p-type ­Bi2Te3/Sb2Te3 superlattice thin film. Sub-
ramanian and coworkers reported the highest figure of merit
ever seen for TE materials.4
The weak T ­ e(1)-Te(1)/Se(1)-Se(2) links between the quintu-
ples and the layered structure of B­ i2Te3/Bi2Se3 are the reason
for the straightforward cleavage in the a and b directions.
The basal planes have higher electrical conductivity than
that along the c axis and across the van der Waals gap.5 The
thermal conductivity of the basal plane in the perpendicular
13
G. S. Hegde et al.
direction is greater than that of polycrystal. The basal planes
have roughly twice the thermal conductivity in the direc-
tion perpendicular to the crystal than that of the polycrystal
orientation. The Seebeck coefficient, however, is nearly iso-
tropic for both n- and p-type systems.6 Meroz et al. reported
creating n-type ­Bi2Te2.4Se0.6 by combining hot pressing with
a melt-spinning technique that can maintain some of the
desired crystallographic orientation needed for electrical
optimization. At a temperature of 320 K, a high ZT value
of 1.07 was attained.7 The thermoelectric characteristics
of the ­Bi2Te3−xSex alloys were improved by Cai et al. via
melt-spinning and resistance-pressing sintering.8 The ther-
moelectric characteristics of bulk compounds containing
Cu-doped ­In2S3 were improved by Chen et al..9 Bismuth
telluride-based solid solutions with a configurable optimal
temperature range were created by Zhang et al..10 As far as
we aware, doping on B ­ i2Se3 and B
­ i2Te3 has been extensively
researched, while doping of these compounds simultane-
ously and in composite form has received the least atten-
tion. The low-temperature thermoelectric characteristics
of the samples ­(Bi1−xInx)2Te2.7Se0.3, ­(Bi1−xSnx)2Te2.7Se0.3,
­(Bi1−xInx)2Se2.7Se0.3, and (­ Bi1−x ­Inx)2Se2.7Te0.3 were exam-
ined in prior publications.11–15 The (­ Bi1−xInx)2S2.7Te0.3 crys-
tal develops lattice defects caused by the bismuth selenide
composite impurities and precipitants. By incorporating
Thermoelectric Composite of ­(Bi0.98In0.02)2Te2.7Se0.3/Bi2Se3 with Enhanced…
additional bismuth telluride into the matrix, bismuth clus-
ters are produced. With increasing bismuth telluride con-
centration, it is thought that bismuth occupancy in inter-
stitial locations becomes less favoured and the dissolution
pattern shifts to a substitutional pattern. Along with these,
we recently reported the thermoelectric properties of the
­( Bi1−xInx) 2Se2.7Te0.3/x%Bi2Te 3 system. It was observed
that anti-structure defects have a considerable impact
on the carrier concentration in the current study’s n-type
­(Bi1−xInx)2Te2.7Se0.3 system.16 Therefore, in continuation of
the previous report, the structural, surface morphological,
and thermoelectric characteristics of different composite
material systems such as ­(Bi0.98In0.02)2Te2.7Se0.3 with vary-
ing concentrations of B­ i2Se3 (5%, 10%, 15%, and 20%) are
examined in the high-temperature range of 30°C to 450°C.
Synthesis and Characterization Technique
The conventional solid-st ate reaction met hod
is used to prepare polycr ystalline samples of
­(Bi0.98In0.02)2Te2.7Se0.3/x%Bi2Se3 of wt 5%, 10%, 15% and
20%, respectively.
(a) Synthesis of ­(Bi0.98In0.02)2Te2.7Se0.3
(Bi0.98In0.02)2Te2.7Se0.3 was synthesized using a solid-
state reaction approach; the precursors of bismuth (99.99%),
indium (99.9%), selenium (99.995%), and tellurium
(99.99%) were combined in a stoichiometric ratio and mixed
for 2 h while vigorously grinding in an agate mortar. Pel-
letization of the powder was carried out using a 5-ton com-
pression force. The pellets were placed in a quartz ampoule
and vacuum-sealed for 30 h at 480°C in order to increase the
uniformity and purity of compounds. The grinding process
was repeated for the sintered pellets. The pellets were again
sintered for 15 h at 250°C.
(b) Synthesis of ­Bi2Se3
In a stoichiometric ratio, precursors of bismuth (99.99%)
and selenium (99.995%) were mixed and processed for 2 h
in an agate mortar. Pellets were created using a hydraulic
press with 5-ton compression. The pellets were sintered in a
quartz tube with a 12 mm diameter at 420°C for 24 h under
1.3 × ­10–7 kPa vacuum. The grinding process was repeated
for 1 h with the sintered samples to achieve the proper homo-
geneity and purity in the compound. After pelletization, this
powder was sintered for 12 h at 200°C.
(c) Composition of (­ Bi0.98In0.02)2Te2.7Se0.3/x%Bi2Se3 for
(x = wt 5%, wt 10%, wt 15%, wt 20%)
3751
To obtain the desired homogeneity of the mix-
ture, the produced B ­ i 2Se 3 was added individually to
­(Bi0.98In0.02)2Te2.7Se0.3 in 5%, 10%, 15%, and 20% composi-
tion, respectively, and thoroughly crushed in an agate mortar
for 2 h. To densify the grains, the samples were sealed and
sintered for around 12 h. The 10 × 2 × 5 ­mm3 pellets under-
went a variety of experimental characterizations.
(d) Characterization of synthesized compounds
X-ray diffraction (XRD) was conducted using an x-ray
diffractometer (Rigaku MiniFlex) and Cu ­Kα rays to con-
firm the purity, crystallinity, and phase formation of the
compounds. Field emission scanning electron microscopy
(FESEM) was performed using a JEOL JSM-7100F instru-
ment at a magnification of 35 kX and a voltage of 15 kV.
Energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS) was used to
identify the sample composition.
In the temperature range of 30°C to 450°C, the steady-
state DC-method was used to concurrently determine the
temperature-dependent electrical resistivity and the Seebeck
coefficient.
Results and Discussion
X‑ray Diffraction
To identify the purity, crystalline phase, and crystallinity
of the (­ Bi0.98In0.02)2Te2.7Se0.3/x%Bi2Se3 composite, pow-
der x-ray diffraction analysis was conducted between 20°
and 80° at a scan rate of 2°/min. Figure 1a illustrates XRD
plots for the ­(Bi1−xInx)2Te2.7Se0.3/Bi2Se3 system. All samples
exhibit XRD patterns with a pronounced aligned XRD peak
plane (015) and a hexagonal structure with space group R
3 m. The materials research project data sheet mp-568390
(Fig. 1b) is in good agreement with the current XRD pat-
terns.17 Table I lists the characterization parameters includ-
ing Rp, Rwp, Rep, and 𝜒 2 values. Significantly, as demon-
strated in Fig. 4, the Te concentration significantly affects the
XRD spectra. The B ­ i2Se3 composite decreases the changes
in constants in a random way and causes the XRD peaks
to migrate to higher angles because selenium has a smaller
atomic radius than tellurium.18 Additionally, as the Se con-
centration reduces, the lattice constant derived from the
XRD spectra drops. The position of the (015) peak, which
is exclusively influenced by the lattice constant c (Fig. 2),
shifts to a smaller angle and eventually to a higher angle
on the 2θ side. The peak obtained at an angle of 30° from
the pristine to the doped sample reveals a diminishing of
the XRD peak, which indicates interlayer change due to the
increase in the concentration of the doped compound. In the
­(Bi0.98In0.02)2Te2.7Se0.3 sample, Se is found to be deficient,
13
3752 G. S. Hegde et al.

indicating that there are several Se vacancies present in the
lattice. ­(Bi0.98In0.02)2Te2.7Se0.3 has a layered lattice structure,
and Te atomic layers are missing in the lattice. This results in
an irregular variation in lattice constant of (Bi 0.98In0.02)2Te2.
7Se0.3/Bi2Se3 (80%/20%) compared to other composite com-
pounds. In addition, there is a change in lattice parameter c
of ­(Bi0.98In0.02)2Te2.7Se0.3/20%Bi2Se3 because of filling of Se
in Te vacancies, resulting in a complicated layered structure.
As evidence, the crystallite sizes are provided in Table I,
which is in good agreement with lattice parameters.19,20 The
discrepancy between theoretical and computed XRD peak
patterns, which is depicted in Fig. 3, has been determined
using EXPO 2014.21

Surface Morphological Features and Elemental

Analysis

Images of (­Bi 0.98 In 0.02 ) 2 Te 2.7 Se 0.3 /BiSe 3 composite

samples captured with a field emission scanning elec-
tron microscope (FESEM) are shown in Fig. 4i. The
­(Bi0.98In0.02)2Te2.7Se0.3/x%Bi2Se3 sample of 95%/5%, which
has low porosity and a compact structure, is shown in
Fig. 4i, a.18 It was found that the selenium particles were
dispersed randomly across the surface of indium-doped
­Bi2Te3 with a rough surface (Fig. 4i, b). Secondary particles
were often seen on the surface of the ­(Bi0.98In0.02)2Te2.7Se0.3/
BiSe3 sample of 85%/15% by covering the tellurium or
selenium atomic layer (Fig. 4i, c). The smooth surface of
­(Bi0.98In0.02)2Se2.7Te0.3/BiTe3 with 80%/20% (Fig. 4i, d)
illustrates the standardized distribution of the composites
in the grains.19,20
EDS was used to check whether the samples had any addi-
tional components, and the results are presented in Fig. 4.
(ii) Bismuth (L line), selenium (K line), indium (K line),
tellurium (K line), and selenium (L line) are present in all of
the ­(Bi0.98In0.02)2Te2.7Se0.3/x%Bi2Se3 samples. Additionally,
EDS elemental mapping (Fig. 5) demonstrates that the ele-
ments were uniformly dispersed across the sample surface.
The observed atomic percentage is approximately matching
with the nominal percentage of composition (Table II).

Electrical Resistivity

Fig. 1  (a) Powder x-ray diffraction patterns of The electrical resistivity of ­(Bi0.98In0.02)2Te2.7Se0.3/x%Bi2Se3
­(Bi0.98In0.02)2Te2.7Se0.3/x%Bi2Se3 composite samples, (b) JCPDS composites was determined in the temperature range of
graph of B ­i2Se3 XRD peak patterns. (Adapted from Materials 30–450°C (Fig. 6). All the samples exhibit n-type semicon-
research project data sheet mp-568390).
ducting behaviour in the entire temperature range. In the

Table I  Powder x-ray diffraction analysis data of ­(Bi0.98In0.02)2Te2.7Se0.3/x%Bi2Se3

Sample Rp Rwp Rep χ2 Crystallite size a=b Å cÅ Lattice strain
(nm)

BIT/BS 5% 10.6 14.4 7.2 4.8 71 30.42 4.36 8.1

BIT/BS 10% 10.9 14.1 8.0 3.4 18 30.44 4.45 6.2
BIT/BS 15% 10.7 9.7 7.6 1.5 38 30.30 4.32 8.2
BIT/BS 20% 8.7 10.7 6.3 2.4 15 30.83 4.30 4.2

13
Thermoelectric Composite of ­(Bi0.98In0.02)2Te2.7Se0.3/Bi2Se3 with Enhanced…
Fig. 2  Shift of the XRD (015) peak for polycrystalline
­(Bi0.98In0.02)2Te2.7Se0.3/x%Bi2Se3 composite samples.
­(Bi0.98In0.02)2Te2.7Se0.3complex, it was found that bismuth
coordinated with six selenium atoms and there were sig-
nificant selenium vacancies.22–25 The indium dopant in the
compound disturbs this coordination. The places in the host
lattice where indium and selenium are coordinated appear to
have a higher volume than the host.26 All the samples exhib-
ited the usual semiconducting behaviour because of the scat-
tering of carriers in grain boundaries and the point defects
established by the random distribution of Te and Se in the
crystallite positions. The ­(Bi0.98In0.02)2Te2.7Se0.3/5%Bi2Se3
and ­( Bi 0.98 In 0.02 ) 2 Te 2.7 Se 0.3 /10%Bi 2 Se 3 samples
are found to have higher electrical resistivity than
­(Bi0.98In0.02)2Te2.7Se0.3/15%Bi2Se3 due to the self-interacting
percolation channels. This causes the impurity atoms to be
spatially redistributed.27 Clusters of bismuth are generated
by adding more bismuth selenide to the matrix. It is assumed
that bismuth occupation in interstitial sites is less preferred
with increasing bismuth selenide content and the dissolution
pattern changes to a substitutional pattern. In addition, the
substitution of 0.02 In for (­ Bi0.98In0.02)2Te2.7Se0.3/x%Bi2Se3
decreased the electrical resistivity. This suggests that In
acts as a scattering centre that disturbs electron conduction.
Hence, there is a twofold decrease in electrical resistivity
3753
for ­(Bi0.98In0.02)2Te2.7Se0.3/20%Bi2Se3 composition relative
to that of ­(Bi0.98In0.02)2Te2.7Se0.3/5%Bi2Se3.
In the (­ Bi1−xInx)2Te2.7Se0.3/x%Bi2Te3 system, at the high
temperature zone, the hopping mechanism between near-
est neighbouring sites is caused by thermally activated tiny
polarons, as shown by the linear plot between ln(ρ/T) and
1/T in Fig. 7. Because selenium atom composition may
change after sintering, EA values are reported to fluctu-
ate inconsistently with the doping concentration.28,29 This
causes the (­Bi0.98In0.02)2Te2.7Se0.3/x%Bi2Se3 samples to
power scattering centres.30
Seebeck Coefficient and Thermopower
The Seebeck coefficient was determined in the temperature
range of 30–450°C for the synthesized polycrystalline sam-
ples and is displayed in Fig. 8. When Te/Se sites are occu-
pied by Bi and In atoms in n-type ­(Bi1−xIn)2Te2.7Se0.3/Bi2Se3
alloys, anti-structure defects are formed. It was observed
that a decrease in the electronegativity disparity between
the component atoms was conducive to an increase in the
formation of anti-structure defects.31,32 Because of poor van
der Waals connection between their layers, cleavage slip of
mechanical deformation caused selenium vacancies to arise
during the sintering process. The Bi atoms will enter Se
vacancies because of the smaller difference of electronega-
tivity between them. An anti-site defect was produced, result-
ing in the formation of the vacancies VBi.33 Therefore, the
concentration of carriers increases in (­ Bi1−xInx)2Te2.7Se0.3/
Bi2Se3 as the content of B­ i2Te3 increases. At higher tem-
peratures, thermal excitation of carriers reduces bipolar
transport, which also shifts the temperature dependence of
the Seebeck value. Additionally, potential barrier scatter-
ing, a thermally increases the Seebeck coefficient, in the
highly granular material by sintering. As a result, there is
a Gaussian-shaped curve of Seebeck coefficients at 350°C
for all the samples.34 The theoretical carrier concentration
is calculated using equation
8kB2 𝜋 2 m∗ ( 𝜋 )2∕3
S(T) = T (1)
3eh2 3n
where m* is the effective mass of the electron, e is the ele-
mentary charge of an electron, h is the Planck’s constant,
n is the carrier concentration, and T is the absolute tem-
perature, where S(T) is the temperature-dependent Seebeck
coefficient, kB is Boltzmann’s constant.35 The mobility can
be calculated using
1
𝜇H = (2)
ne𝜌
13
3754 G. S. Hegde et al.

Fig. 3  Rietveld refinement plots of (­ Bi0.98In0.02)2Te2.7Se0.3/5%Bi2Se3, ­(Bi0.98In0.02)2Te2.7Se0.3/10%Bi2Se3, ­(Bi0.98In0.02)2Te2.7Se0.3/15%,

­(Bi0.98In0.02)2Te2.7Se0.3/20%Bi2Se3 ­Bi2Se3 composite samples.

The theoretical values of charge density, mobility, activa- Conclusions

tion energy and scattering factors of ­(Bi1−xInx)2Te2.7Se0.3/
Bi2Se3 were calculated and are given in Table III. The ther moelectric characteristics of the
In addition, the temperature-dependent power ­( Bi 0.98 In 0.02 ) 2 Te 2.7 Se 0.3 /x%Bi 2 Se 3 composite system
factor of the investigated ­ ( Bi 1−x In x ) 2 Te 2.7 Se 0.3 / with composition of 5%, 10%, 15% and 20% are investi-
Bi 2 Se 3 composites is shown in Fig. 9. The pris- gated in this paper. The hexagonal crystal structure with
tine ­( Bi 0.98 In 0.02 ) 2 Te 2.7 Se 0.3 /5%Bi 2 Se 3 has the low- a space group of R3 m is confirmed by the XRD study.
est ther mopower of 45 µW/mK 2 at 300°C, but When selenium or tellurium is coated in an atomic layer,
the greatest thermopower of nearly 100 µW/mK 2 secondary particles are observed under a field emission
was found for ­ ( Bi 0.98 In 0.02 ) 2 Te 2.7 Se 0.3 /20%Bi 2 Se 3 . scanning electronic microscope on the sample surface.
There is a 200% increase in ther mopower for Every sample displayed semiconducting behaviour across
­( B i 0 . 9 8 I n 0 . 0 2 ) 2 Te 2 . 7 S e 0 . 3 / 2 0 % B i 2 S e 3 r e l a t i ve t o the entire temperature range. The significant impact of
­(Bi0.98In0.02)2Te2.7Se0.3/5%Bi2Se3. grain boundaries on the electrical characteristics of the
samples can be seen in the reported electrical resistiv-
ity, which results in a larger concentration of scattering

13
Thermoelectric Composite of ­(Bi0.98In0.02)2Te2.7Se0.3/Bi2Se3 with Enhanced… 3755

Fig. 4  (i) FESEM images of (a) (­Bi0.98In0.02)2Te2.7Se0.3/5%Bi2Se3 (b)

­(Bi0.98In0.02)2Te2.7Se0.3/10%Bi2Se3 (c) (­Bi0.98In0.02)2Te2.7Se0.3/15%Bi2Se3,
(d) ­(Bi0.98In0.02)2Te2.7Se0.3/20%Bi2Se3 composites. (ii) EDS elemental
mapping of (­ Bi0.98In0.02)2Te2.7Se0.3/Bi2Se3 composites.

centres in the composites. With an increase in bismuth

selenide concentration, the bismuth occupancy in inter-
stitial sites becomes less favoured, and the dissolu-
tion pattern switches to a substitutional pattern. Hence, Fig. 5  Energy-dispersive x-ray analysis of spec-
there is a twofold decrease in electrical resistivity for tra (EDS) of (a) ­
(Bi0.98In0.02)2Te2.7Se0.3/5%Bi2Se3, (b)
­( Bi 0.98 In 0.02 ) 2 Te 2.7 Se 0.3 /20%Bi 2 Se 3 composition com- ­(Bi0.98In0.02)2Te2.7Se0.3/10%Bi2Se3, (c) (­Bi0.98In0.02)2Te2.7Se0.3/15%Bi2Se3,
pared to ­(Bi0.98In0.02)2Te2.7Se0.3/5%Bi2Se3. Potential bar- (d) ­(Bi0.98In0.02)2Te2.7Se0.3/20%Bi2Se3composites.
rier scattering is a thermal process that raises the See-
beck coefficient of a material because of sintering. The

13
3756 G. S. Hegde et al.

Table II  The elemental composition data of the BIT/BS samples

Sample Element Expected at.% Observed at.%

BIT_BS 5% Bi 54.64 54.50

In 0.03 0.02
Te 42.15 42.43
Se 3.18 3.05
BIT_BS 10% Bi 58.11 57.12
In 0.03 0.02
Te 38.56 34.20
Se 3.3 8.66
BIT_BS 15% Bi 59.53 57.53
In 0.47 0.34
Te 36.5 34.5
Se 3.5 5.63
BIT_BS 20% Bi 60.34 58.65
In 0.35 0.30
Te 33.40 33.00 Fig. 7  Linear plot of small polaron hopping model of region in
Se 5.91 8.05 ­(Bi0.98In0.02)2Te2.7Se0.3/x%Bi2Se3 composites.

Fig. 8  Temperature-dependent Seebeck coefficient of

­(Bi0.98In0.02)2Te2.7Se0.3/x%Bi2Se3 composites.

Fig. 6  Temperature-dependent electrical resistivity of

­(Bi0.98In0.02)2Te2.7Se0.3/x%Bi2Se3 composites.
Table III  Theoretical charge density nTh, mobility (µTh), activation energy
(EA) and scattering factor (γTh) of ­(Bi0.98In0.02)2Te2.7Se0.3/x%Bi2Se3 com-
posites at 30°C
Seebeck coefficients have a Gaussian form at 350°C for
Sample nTh ­1026 ­(m−3) µTh ­10–4 γTh EA (meV)
all the samples. There is a twofold increase in thermo- ­(m2/Vs)
power for ­( Bi 0.98In 0.02) 2Te 2.7Se 0.3/20%Bi 2Se 3 relative to
­(Bi0.98In0.02)2Te2.7Se0.3/5%Bi2Se3. BIT/BS_5% 1.9 4.2 60.50 23
BIT/BS_10% 1.52 6.1 60.28 21
Acknowledgments Ganesh Shridhar Hegde (GSH) would like to thank BIT/BS_15% 1.50 6.2 60.27 22
the Manipal Academy of Higher Education for helping to support Dr. T.
M. A.'s PhD scholarship. ANP thanks UGC-DAE, Mumbai, for provid- BIT/BS_20% 1.43 6.4 60.22 17
ing financial support in accordance with the provisions of the project
grant UDCSR/MUM/AO/CRS-M-314/2021/298. One of the authors
(AR) received the money required to finish this investigation from the
DST-FIST Grant (SR/FIST/PS-1/2017/8).

13
Thermoelectric Composite of ­(Bi0.98In0.02)2Te2.7Se0.3/Bi2Se3 with Enhanced…
Fig. 9  Temperature-dependent thermopower of the (­Bi1−xInx)2Te2.7Se0.3/
Bi2Se3 system.
Author Contributions GSH: Methodology, Writing—original draft,
Formal analysis. SP: Calculation and Plotting of Graphs. ANP: Super-
vision, Validation. AR: Writing—review & editing. KG and DSU: Data
curation.
Funding Open access funding provided by Manipal Academy of
Higher Education, Manipal. The research leading to these results
received funding from project grant UDCSR/MUM/AO/CRS-M-
314/2021/298, Dr. T. M. A.’s PhD scholarship and DST-FIST Grant
(SR/FIST/PS-1/2017/8).
Data Availability The thermoelectric data were generated at the Centre
for Clean Energy, Department of Physics, Manipal Institute of Technol-
ogy. The derived data supporting the findings of this study are available
from the corresponding author [ANP] on request.
Conflict of interest All authors certify that they have no affiliations
with or involvement in any organization or entity with any financial
interest or non-financial interest in the subject matter or materials dis-
cussed in this manuscript.
Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attri-
bution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adapta-
tion, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long
as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source,
provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes
were made. The images or other third party material in this article are
included in the article's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated
otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in
the article's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not
permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will
need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a
copy of this licence, visit http://​creat​iveco​mmons.​org/​licen​ses/​by/4.​0/.
3757
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