Thermoelectric properties of stoichiometric and hole-doped CrN

We report the thermoelectric figure of merit of chromium nitride, CrN, and its optimization through hole-doping. CrN is a degenerate semiconductor with large thermoelectric power, reaching -185 mu V/K at 420 K. The resistivity can be reduced through hole-doping in the series Cr(1-x)V(x)N, keeping a large thermopower. The thermal conductivity of CrN is rather low compared to other transition-metal nitrides, reaching its minimum value of 1.0 W/m K at 267 K. The largest ZT=0.04 was measured for Cr(0.9)V(0.1)N at room temperature. Our results suggest that CrN could be a good starting point for the design of a thermoelectric material with optimal mechanical properties.