Thermoelectric Properties of Nanostructured Materials Based on Lead Telluride

Abstract

The results of the thermoelectric properties study obtained by pressing the materials powder on the basis of two types of lead telluride are shown: mechanical mixtures of basic microdisperse PbTe and nanodispersed additives ZnO or TiO2; alloyed by antimony lead telluride and alloyed by silver lead-tin telluride in amount that exceeds the limit of impurity solubility, in order to provide additional phases. It has been established that the system heterophasicity, especially of the second type, provides the materials obtaining with low value of the thermal conductivity coefficient, which allows receiving effective thermoelectric materials with the thermoelectric figure of merit coefficient  1.0.

Periodic nanostructures induced by point defects in Pb1-xSnxTe

“…Lead telluride-based compounds are among the best materials for medium-temperature thermoelectric applications [1][2][3][4]. The electronic and thermal transport properties of these materials can well-tuned using the point defects and nano-inclusions [5][6][7][8]. However, a much more interesting effect is the formation of the selforganized nano-inclusions, which may have a significant effect on the physical properties.…”