Abstract
Fabrication of nanoparticle-dispersed composites is an effective strategy for enhancing the performance of thermoelectric materials, and in particular SiC nanoparticles have been often used to create composites with Bi2Te3-based applied thermoelectric materials. However, the effect of particle size on the thermoelectric performance is unclear. This work systematically investigated the electrical and thermal properties of a series of (Bi,Sb)2Te3-based nanocomposites containing dispersed SiC nanoparticles of different sizes. It was found that particle size has a significant impact on the electrical properties with smaller SiC nanoparticles giving rise to higher electrical conductivity. Even though the dispersed SiC nanoparticles enhanced the Seebeck coefficient, no apparent dependence of the enhancement on the particle size was observed. It was also found that smaller SiC nanoparticles scatter phonons to some extent while the larger nanoparticles contribute to increased thermal conductivity. Eventually, the highest ZT value of 1.12 was obtained in 30 nm-SiC dispersed sample, corresponding to an increase by 18% from 0.95 for the matrix made from commercial scraps, and then the ZT was further boosted to 1.33 by optimizing the matrix composition and expelling excess Te during the optimized spark plasma sintering process. This work proves that the dispersion of smaller SiC nanoparticles in p-type (Bi,Sb)2Te3 materials is more effective than the dispersion of larger nanoparticles. In addition, it is revealed that additional compositional and/or processing optimization is vital and effective for obtaining further performance enhancement for nanocomposites of SiC nanoparticles dispersed in (Bi,Sb)2Te3.
摘要
纳米复合是增强材料热电性能的有效手段, 特别是纳米SiC 粉末常被用来制备基于Bi2Te3的纳米复合材料, 但是纳米粒子的尺 寸对热电性能的影响并不清楚. 本文中, 我们制备了一系列不同粒 度的纳米SiC弥散于BiSbTe基体的复合材料, 并系统研究了其热电 性能, 发现纳米粒子的尺寸对BiSbTe材料电学性能有显著影响. 小 尺寸的纳米SiC复合会产生更高的电导率, 纳米SiC的复合会增强材 料的Seebeck系数, 但这一增强与SiC的尺寸并无显著关联; 另外, 小 尺寸的纳米SiC能够在一定程度上散射声子, 而较大尺寸的纳米SiC 却会使热导率增加, 当纳米SiC尺寸为30 nm时, 复合材料的ZT值达 到了1.12, 相比基体材料(ZT值为0.95)提高了18%. 之后, 通过优化 基体组分、液相助烧以及优化烧结条件, 材料的ZT值进一步提升 到了1.33. 本文证明, 在BiSbTe材料中弥散分布小尺寸的纳米SiC能 更有效地增强热电性能. 此外, 组分调控以及处理工艺的优化对于 高性能的(Bi,Sb)2Te3/SiC纳米复合材料的获得必不可少.
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Acknowledgements
This work was supported by the Basic Science Center Project of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (51788104), and the National Key R&D Program of China (2018YFB0703603).
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Cai B and Li JF designed the project; Cai B, Pei J, Dong J, Zhuang HL, Gu J, Hu H and Lin Z conducted the experiments and analyzed the data; Cao Q supplied the raw materials; Cai B and Li JF wrote the paper. All authors contributed to the general discussion.
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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
Bowen Cai is now a post-doctor working at the School of Materials Science and Engineering, Tsinghua University. His current research interests include thermoelectric materials and high-pressure technology. He holds a BE degree from Xi’an University of Technology and a PhD degree from Yanshan University in Qinhuangdao, China.
Jing-Feng Li is a professor at Tsinghua University, China. He graduated from Huazhong University of Science and Technology (China) in 1984, and obtained his doctor degree from Tohoku University (Japan) in 1991. After working at Tohoku University as an assistant professor from 1992 to 1997 and an associate professor from 1997 to 2002, he joined Tsinghua University as a full professor in 2002. His research interests include piezoelectric ceramics, composites and films for applications in microelectromechanical systems, thermoelectric materials and devices, materials microfabrication, ceramic processing and mechanical properties.
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(Bi,Sb)2Te3/SiC nanocomposites with enhanced thermoelectric performance: Effect of SiC nanoparticle size and compositional modulation
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Cai, B., Pei, J., Dong, J. et al. (Bi,Sb)2Te3/SiC nanocomposites with enhanced thermoelectric performance: Effect of SiC nanoparticle size and compositional modulation. Sci. China Mater. 64, 2551–2562 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40843-021-1647-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40843-021-1647-0