Thermoelectric Properties of Natural Chalcopyrite from Zacatecas, Mexico

The phase and chemical compositions of the mineral chalcopyrite from the sulphide footwall vein in La Cantera (Zacatecas, Mexico) is examined by powder x-ray diffraction, energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy and chemical ICP-OES analyses. The influence of the detected impurities on the thermoelectric parameters (i.e. thermopower, electrical and thermal conductivities) is discussed. Thermoelectric figure of merit ZT of the studied natural minerals is found to be of the same order of magnitude (~ 10-3) as reported for CuFeS2 synthesized in the laboratory.