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Intermetallic Growth at the Interfaces Between Zn4Sb3 Thermoelectric Material and Various Metallic Electrodes

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Abstract

Zn4Sb3 has received interest for thermoelectric (TE) applications due to its low cost and low environmental impact. In this study, the Zn4Sb3 TE material was diffusion-bonded with multiple electrode materials of Ni, Ag, Cu, Pd and Ti for evaluation of the manufacturing of TE modules. Intermetallic compounds formed at the interfaces of the Zn4Sb3 diffusion couples, with Ni, Ag, Cu, and Pd exhibiting the selective reaction effect with zinc due to its high chemical affinity and low formation energies. Optimized bonding strengths of 6.6 to 8.2 MPa were achieved in Zn4Sb3 bonded with Ni, Ag and Cu materials at 350 °C. The Pd material could only bond at a temperature above 300 °C, and cracks presented after longer bonding times. As for the titanium, Zn4Sb3/Ti was successfully joined only at temperatures between 400 °C and 500 °C. It was observed that a rather thin TiSb2 intermetallic compound formed during the interfacial reactions between Zn4Sb3 and Ti, which grew significantly more slowly than those formed at the interfaces of Zn4Sb3 diffusion-coupled with Ni, Ag, Cu, and Pd metallic materials. Our results provide a reference for evaluating these common materials as suitable electrode and barrier layer candidates for utilizing the Zn4Sb3 TE material.

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Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful for the financial support of this study by the Ministry of Science and Technology, Taiwan, under Grant No. MOST-109-2221-E-002-118.

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On behalf of all authors, the corresponding author states that there is no conflict of interest.

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  1. Institute of Materials Science and Engineering, National Taiwan University, Taipei, 106, Taiwan

    Chun-Hao Chen, Pei-Ing Lee, Wei-Ting Yeh & Tung-Han Chuang

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  1. Chun-Hao Chen
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Correspondence to Tung-Han Chuang.

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Manuscript submitted May 17, 2021, accepted October 10, 2021.

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Chen, CH., Lee, PI., Yeh, WT. et al. Intermetallic Growth at the Interfaces Between Zn4Sb3 Thermoelectric Material and Various Metallic Electrodes. Metall Mater Trans A 53, 136–146 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11661-021-06499-9

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