Mass anisotropy effects on the thermoelectric figure of merit and Seebeck coefficient

The effects of scattering anisotropy caused by mass anisotropy on the thermoelectric figure of merit and Seebeck coefficient are investigated. The wave-vector-dependent relaxation time is considered to yield transport coefficients. The thermoelectric figure of merit parallel to the conduction layer of a material is shown to decrease as the anisotropy increases. The Seebeck coefficient is shown to be nearly, but not strictly, isotropic