Polymeric Coatings for Skutterudite-Based Thermoelectric Materials

Abstract

Thermoelectric (TE) devices have short service lives. These materials undergo thermal degradation at elevated temperatures by processes such as oxidation or sublimation. Our substrates were skutterudite-based TE materials. We covered their surfaces with a liquid high-temperature polymer (HTP)—crosslinked after the deposition, what converted those surfaces into solid coatings. Sintering was performed at 250 °C for times of up to 48 h on both uncoated (control) and HTP-coated samples. The changes caused by thermal degradation were evaluated by thermogravimetric analysis, electrical resistivity, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and observed by scanning electron microscopy. Significant mitigation of oxidation and sublimation of our TE materials was achieved.