Abstract
Bi x Sb2−x Te3 bulk alloys are known as the best p-type thermoelectric materials near room temperature. In this work, single-phase Bi x Sb2−x Te3 (x = 0.2, 0.25, 0.3, 0.34, 0.38, 0.42, 0.46, and 0.5) alloys were prepared by spark plasma sintering (SPS) using mechanical alloying (MA)-derived powders. A small amount (0.1 vol.%) of SiC nanoparticles was added to improve the mechanical properties and to reduce the thermal conductivity of the alloys. The electrical resistivity decreases significantly with increasing ratio of Sb to Bi in spite of the weaker decreasing trend in Seebeck coefficient, whereby the power factor at 323 K reaches 3.14 × 10−3 W/mK2 for a sample with x = 0.3, obviously higher than that at x = 0.5 (2.27 × 10−3 W/mK2), a composition commonly used for ingots. Higher thermal conductivities at low temperatures are obtained at the compositions with lower x values, but they tend to decrease with temperature. As a result, higher ZT values are obtained for Bi0.3Sb1.7Te3, with a maximum ZT value of 1.23 at 423 K, about twice the ZT value (about 0.6) of Bi0.5Sb1.5Te3 at the same temperature.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
L.E. Bell, Science 321, 1457 (2008).
B. Poudel, Q. Hao, Y. Ma, Y.C. Lan, A. Minnich, B. Yu, X. Yan, D.Z. Wang, A. Muto, D. Vashaee, X.Y. Chen, J.M. Liu, M.S. Dresselhaus, G. Chen, and Z. Ren, Science 320, 634 (2008).
J.R. Sootsman, D.Y. Chung, and M.G. Kanatzidis, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 48, 8616 (2009).
G. Chen, M.S. Dresselhaus, G. Dresselhaus, J.P. Fleurial, and T. Caillat, Int. Mater. Rev. 48, 45 (2003).
D.M. Rowe, Thermoelectrics Handbook (Boca Raton: CRC Press, 2006).
L.D. Zhao, B.P. Zhang, J.F. Li, H.L. Zhang, and W.S. Liu, Solid State Sci. 10, 651 (2008).
T.S. Oh, D.B. Hyun, and N.V. Kolomoets, Scripta Mater. 42, 849 (2000).
S.S. Kim, S. Yamamoto, and T. Aizawa, J. Alloys Compd. 375, 107 (2004).
W.J. Xie, X.F. Tang, Y.G. Yan, Q.J. Zhang, and T.M. Tritt, J. Appl. Phys. 105, 113713 (2009).
Y.Q. Cao, T.J. Zhu, X.B. Zhao, X.B. Zhang, and J.P. Tu, Appl. Phys. A 92, 321 (2008).
D. Lee, C. Lim, D. Cho, Y. Lee, and C. Lee, J. Electron. Mater. 35, 360 (2006).
L.D. Zhao, B.P. Zhang, J.F. Li, M. Zhou, W.S. Liu, and J. Liu, J. Alloys Compd. 455, 259 (2008).
L.D. Zhao, B.P. Zhang, J.F. Li, M. Zhou, and W.S. Liu, Physica B 400, 11 (2007).
J.F. Li and J. Liu, Phys. Status Solidi A 203, 3768 (2006).
L.D. Zhao, B.P. Zhang, W.S. Liu, H.L. Zhang, and J.F. Li, J. Alloys Compd. 467, 91 (2009).
C.N. Liao and L.C. Wu, Appl. Phys. Lett. 95, 052112 (2009).
C.N. Liao, L.C. Wu, and J.S. Lee, J. Alloys Compd. 490, 468 (2010).
Y.C. Lan, B. Poudel, Y. Ma, D.Z. Wang, M.S. Dresselhaus, G. Chen, and Z.F. Ren, Nano Lett. 9, 1419 (2009).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Chen, C., Liu, DW., Zhang, BP. et al. Enhanced Thermoelectric Properties Obtained by Compositional Optimization in p-Type Bi x Sb2−x Te3 Fabricated by Mechanical Alloying and Spark Plasma Sintering. J. Electron. Mater. 40, 942–947 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11664-010-1463-2
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11664-010-1463-2