Oxide semiconductors for thermoelectric: The challenges and future

The oxide thermoelectric (TE) ceramics have continued to attract the focus due to their high stability and low cost. However, their TE performance falls obviously backward with the typical TE compounds such as PbTe. Here, we revealed the reason for the difficulty of optimized performance is the large electronegativity difference between the metal and O ions in oxide, which results in strong electron localization and bond energy. The former leads to unfavorable electrical properties and the latter results in a high lattice thermal conductivity. Focusing on these issues, we briefly reviewed the strategies for electrical optimization including carrier concentration optimization, band gap tuning, and the density of state resonance, as well as the lattice thermal suppression strategies involving weakened bond, high entropy, grain size engineering, hierarchical architecture, textured polycrystal, and composite strategies for oxide TE ceramics. Finally, we proposed several possible perspectives for n-type oxide TE ceramics, strategies for bond anisotropy, and predicted new TE oxides for further breakthroughs in oxide TE properties.