Abstract
The thermoelectric properties of magnesium silicide (Mg2Si) samples prepared by use of an atmospheric plasma spray (APS) were compared with those of samples prepared from the same feedstock powder by use of the conventional hot-pressing method. The characterization performed included measurement of thermal conductivity, electrical conductivity, Seebeck coefficient, and figure of merit, ZT. X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDX) were used to assess how phase and microstructure affected the thermoelectric properties of the samples. Hall effect measurements furnished carrier concentration, and measurement of Hall mobility provided further insight into electrical conductivity and Seebeck coefficient. Low temperature and high velocity APS using an internal-powder distribution system achieved a phase of composition similar to that of the feedstock powder. Thermal spraying was demonstrated in this work to be an effective means of reducing the thermal conductivity of Mg2Si; this may be because of pores and cracks in the sprayed sample. Vacuum-annealed APS samples were found to have very high Seebeck coefficients. To further improve the figure of merit, carrier concentration must be adjusted and carrier mobility must be enhanced.
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Acknowledgements
The authors gratefully acknowledge financial support from the NSF/DOE Thermoelectrics Partnership program under grant NSF CBET #1048744 and from NYSERDA under Contract 21180. The authors wish to thank Dr Jim Quinn, Dr Xiaoya Shi, Mr Bo Zhang, and Ms Su Jung Han from Stony Brook and Dr Ming Lu and Fernando Camino from Brookhaven National Laboratory, for help in characterizing the Mg2Si samples. We also thank Professor Richard Gambino for insightful discussions and Professor Fuxing Ye for assistance with hot pressing.
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Fu, G., Zuo, L., Longtin, J. et al. Thermoelectric Properties of Magnesium Silicide Deposited by Use of an Atmospheric Plasma Thermal Spray. J. Electron. Mater. 43, 2723–2730 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11664-014-3103-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11664-014-3103-8