Thermoelectric Performance of Micro/Nano-Structured Bismuth-Antimony-Telluride Bulk from Low Cost Mechanical Alloying

Abstract

In this work, micro/nano-structured Bi 0.5 Sb 1.5 Te 3 bulk thermoelectric materials were synthesized by mechanical alloying from elemental shots of Bi, Sb, and Te. Cold pressing and subsequent heat treatments with hydrogen reduction were used to form bulk solid samples with good thermoelectric properties in the temperature range around 75˚C to 100˚C. In comparison to crystal growth methods and chemical solution synthesis, the reported technique can be readily implemented for mass production with relatively low cost.

Phonon transport properties of NbCoSb compound

“…Due to limited fossil fuels and environmental problems, thermoelectric events are expected to play an important role in energy production [1,2]. For instance, they are important for power generation devices that are now designed to convert heat, solar energy, geothermal energy, and other thermal energies directly into electrical energy [3]. Beside these, solid-state cooling based on thermoelectric effects is also important [4].…”