Thermoelectric properties of La-doped Ca-Co-O misfit cobaltites

The sol-gel method followed by a hot-pressing sintering procedure was applied to synthesize the misfit layered cobaltite with lanthanum addition. The electrical conductivity and Seebeck coefficient of all the samples were measured from 473 to 973 K. The values of both properties increase with the rising temperature. La dopant amount has a remarkable effect on electrical transport properties. The results imply the promising way to enhance the thermoelectric properties of the layered cobaltite oxides by optimizing its composition and microstructure.