Potential thermoelectric performance from optimization of hole-doped Bi$_{2}$Se$_{3}$

We present an analysis of the potential thermoelectric performance of hole-doped Bi$_2$Se$_3$, which is commonly considered to show inferior room temperature performance when compared to Bi$_2$Te$_3$. We find that if the lattice thermal conductivity can be reduced by nanostructuring techniques (as have been applied to Bi$_2$Te$_3$) the material may show optimized {\it ZT} values of unity or more in the 300 - 500 K temperature range and thus be suitable for cooling and moderate temperature waste heat recovery and thermoelectric solar cell applications. Central to this conclusion are the larger band gap and the relatively heavier valence bands of Bi$_2$Se$_3$.