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Microstructure and thermoelectric properties of Bi0.5Na0.02Sb1.48−x In x Te3 alloys fabricated by vacuum melting and hot pressing

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Abstract

The Bi0.5Na0.02Sb1.48−x In x Te3 alloys (x = 0.02–0.20) were synthesized by vacuum melting and hot pressing methods at 753 K, 60 MPa for 30 min. Effects of Na and In dual partial substitutions for Sb on the thermoelectric properties were investigated from 300 to 500 K. Substituting Sb with Na and In can enhance the Seebeck coefficient effectively near room temperature. The electrical resistivity of the Na and In dual-doping samples is higher within the whole test temperature range. The Bi0.5Na0.02Sb1.48−x In x Te3 samples (x = 0.02, 0.06) play a great role in optimizing the thermal conductivity. As for the Bi0.5 Na0.02Sb1.46In0.02Te3 alloy, the minimum value of thermal conductivity reaches 0.53 W·m−1·K−1 at 320 K. The thermoelectric performance of the Na and In dual-doped samples is greatly improved, and a figure of merit ZT of 1.26 is achieved at 300 K for the Bi0.5Na0.02Sb1.42In0.06Te3, representing 26 % enhancement with respect to ZT = 1.0 of the undoped sample.

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Acknowledgments

This study was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 51161009) and the Research Project of Jiangxi Provincial Education Department (No. GJJ13722 and GJJ11615).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for New Energy Materials Research, School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, Jiujiang University, Jiujiang, 332005, China

    Xing-Kai Duan, Kong-Gang Hu, Da-Hu Ma, Wang-Nian Zhang, Yue-Zhen Jiang & Shu-Chao Guo

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  1. Xing-Kai Duan
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  2. Kong-Gang Hu
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Correspondence to Xing-Kai Duan.

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Duan, XK., Hu, KG., Ma, DH. et al. Microstructure and thermoelectric properties of Bi0.5Na0.02Sb1.48−x In x Te3 alloys fabricated by vacuum melting and hot pressing. Rare Met. 34, 770–775 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12598-013-0124-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12598-013-0124-z

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