Anisotropic thermoelectric and superconducting properties of the bulk misfit-layered (SnSe)1.17(TaSe2) compound

We present the thermoelectric and superconducting properties of the bulk misfit-layered (SnSe)_1.17(TaSe₂) compound with the critical temperature (T_c ~ 3.8 K). From XRD and electrical resistivity, the anisotropic properties of the misfit-layered compound by the preferred orientation were observed. The zero-temperature-limit upper critical field H_c2(0) and coherence length ξ are obtained by H_c2(0) = 8.94 T and ξ = 6.1 nm. The electron-phonon coupling constant (λ_e-p = 0.735) and the specific heat jump (ΔC_e/γT_c ~ 1.4) imply that the (SnSe)_1.17(TaSe₂) compound is a weak coupled conventional s-wave superconductor. Density functional theory (DFT) calculation results show that some electronic charge transfers from the SnSe layers into the TaSe₂ layers. In addition, the thermoelectric properties of the bulk misfit-layered (SnSe)_1.17(TaSe₂) compound show significant anisotropic properties.