In this research, single phase [Formula: see text]-MoSi2 was prepared by solid state hybrid microwave heating within 90 min at relatively low temperature 1273 K. Such precursor powders were then ball milled and sintered by microwave heating at different temperatures. The thermoelectric (TE) properties of MoSi2 bulks were investigated in the temperature range of 300–673 K. When the sintering temperature increases from 973 K to 1273 K, the electrical resistivity decreases significantly and the Seebeck coefficients increase obviously, leading to the maximum TE powder factor of [Formula: see text] at 673 K. These results demonstrate the feasibility of high efficient and economical synthesis of MoSi2 by microwave heating technique, with the final products having comparable TE performance in comparison to those from typical methods with long duration and energy-extensive consumption.

In this study, single phase cobalt disulfide [Formula: see text] was synthesized by temperature-controlled solid state hybrid microwave heating. The structure, composition and morphology of the obtained samples were studied using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron spectroscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) and high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), respectively. The loose [Formula: see text] polycrystalline precursor was then hot pressed to dense bulk sample. The subsequent transport and magnetic properties measurements reveal the ferromagnetic Curie temperature at the magnetic transition near 128 K. These results suggest that the magnetic transition in [Formula: see text] is susceptible to the preparation conditions and the microstructure of the samples.