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Microwave synthesis and enhancement of thermoelectric performance in HfxTi1−xNiSn0.97Sb0.03 half-Heusler bulks

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Abstract

We obtained TiNiSn-based half-Heusler HfxTi1−xNiSn0.97Sb0.03 bulks with 85%–96% relative densities via 5-min microwave synthesis and 20-min microwave sintering in sealed vacuum. The phase composition and microstructure of samples were characterized by X-ray diffractometer (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Thermoelectric (TE) properties were measured, i.e., Seebeck coefficient (S), electrical resistivity (ρ), and thermal conductivity (κ) through Seebeck coefficient/resistance analysis system (S/RAs) and laser flash thermal analyzer (LFT). The results show that the nearly single phase exists after microwave sintering. The grain sizes and the number of grain boundaries decrease with increase in Hf-doping amount due to an increase in point defects. The matrix grains for Hf0.1Ti0.9NiSn0.97Sb0.03 are ~ 10 μm. The nanoscle pores and precipitates are present as second phases in matrix grain. The real composition for Hf0.1Ti0.9NiSn0.97Sb0.03 matrix grain is Hf3.51Ti28.76Ni34.76Sn31.55Sb1.43. The variation trends of electrical resistivity, Seebeck coefficient, power factor, and thermal conductivity were analyzed in detail. The maximum figure of merit (ZT) of 0.46 is obtained for Hf0.1Ti0.9NiSnSn0.97Sb0.03 at 723 K. The innovation route exhibits advantages for predation of TE bulks when compared to the conventional methods, especially in terms of efficiency while it still maintains TE performance.

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Acknowledgements

This work was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 51574134 and 51574042), the Joint Fund between Shenyang National Laboratory for Materials Science and State Key Laboratory of Advanced Processing and Recycling of Nonferrous Metals (No. 18LHPY016) and Anhui University Outstanding Young Talent Support Program (Key Project) (No. gxyqZD2017039).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Metallurgical Engineering, Anhui University of Technology, Maxiang Road, Ma’anshan, 243032, China

    Ying Lei & Yu Li

  2. College of Materials Science and Engineering, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, 650093, China

    Run-Dong Wan

  3. Institute of Mineral Resources Development and Utilization, Changsha Research Institute of Mining and Metallurgy Co., Ltd, Changsha, 410012, China

    Wen Chen

  4. State Key Laboratory of Advanced Processing and Recycling of Nonferrous Metals, Lanzhou University of Technology, Lanzhou, 730050, China

    Ying Lei, Yu Li & Hong-Wei Zhou

  5. Department of Mechanical Engineering, Blekinge Institute of Technology, 37179, Karlskrona, Sweden

    Run-Dong Wan

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  1. Ying Lei
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Correspondence to Yu Li.

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Lei, Y., Li, Y., Wan, RD. et al. Microwave synthesis and enhancement of thermoelectric performance in HfxTi1−xNiSn0.97Sb0.03 half-Heusler bulks. Rare Met. 42, 3780–3786 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12598-019-01290-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12598-019-01290-7

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