ChemInform Abstract: Composition Optimization of P‐Type AgSn_mSbTe_m+2 Thermoelectric Materials Synthesized by Mechanical Alloying and Spark Plasma Sintering.

Abstract

Synthesized by Mechanical Alloying and Spark Plasma Sintering. -AgSn mSbTem+2 (m = 2, 4, 10, 18) thermoelectric materials are prepared by mechanical alloying of the elements in a planetary ball mill followed by spark plasma sintering (50 MPa, 749 K, 5 min). The samples are characterized by XRD, SEM, and thermoelectric measurements. Both the electrical and thermal conductivities increase with increasing m, but the Seebeck coefficient shows a maximum at m = 4, resulting in an optimal composition with a relatively high thermoelectric figure of merit of up to 0.8 at 723 K. The title system holds great promise as an alternative p-type, lead-free, thermoelectric material. -(XING, Z.-B.; LI, Z.-Y.; TAN, Q.; WEI, T.-R.; WU, C.-F.; LI*, J.-F.; J. Alloys Compd. 615 (2014) 451-455, http://dx.