We have fabricated and studied the structural, magnetic, and transport
properties of filled skutterudites of the form CeyFe4-xCoxSb12 with 0
< y < 1 and x=3.25 and 4. For samples containing 100% Co, Ce can be i
nserted into approximately 10% of the voids in the skutterudite struct
ure. It is shown that the rare earth is trivalent and dopes the host C
oSb3 n-type. With substitution of Fe for Co the void occupancy by Ce i
ncreases. The thermal conductivity is strongly depressed even at small
(5%) rare-earth filling fractions, and is further degraded by substit
ution of Fe for Co. Although the electron mobility in n-type samples i
s smaller than the hole mobility in p-type samples, due to their large
electron masses the Seebeck coefficient in n-type material maintains
large values at high electron concentrations.