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Shock-Wave Consolidation of Nanostructured Bismuth Telluride Powders

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Abstract

Nanostructured thermoelectric powders can be produced using a variety of techniques. However, it is very challenging to build a bulk material from these nanopowders without losing the nanostructure. In the present work, nanostructured powders of the bismuth telluride alloy system are obtained in kilogram quantities via a gas atomization process. These powders are characterized using a variety of methods including scanning electron microscopy, transition electron microscopy, and x-ray diffraction analysis. Then the powders are consolidated into a dense bulk material using a shock-wave consolidation technique whereby a nanopowder-containing tube is surrounded by explosives and then detonated. The resulting shock wave causes rapid fusing of the powders without the melt and subsequent grain growth of other techniques. We describe the test setup and consolidation results.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. TXL Group, Inc., 2000 Wyoming Ave., El Paso, TX, 79903, USA

    Jan Beck, Manuel Alvarado & David Nemir

  2. EDAX Inc., 392 E. 12300 South, Suite H, Draper, UT, 84020, USA

    Mathew Nowell

  3. Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, University of Texas at El Paso, 500 W. University Ave., El Paso, TX, 79968, USA

    Lawrence Murr

  4. NASA Langley Research Center, Mail Stop 468, Hampton, VA, 23681-2199, USA

    Narasimha Prasad

Authors
  1. Jan Beck
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  2. Manuel Alvarado
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  3. David Nemir
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  4. Mathew Nowell
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  5. Lawrence Murr
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  6. Narasimha Prasad
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Correspondence to David Nemir.

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Beck, J., Alvarado, M., Nemir, D. et al. Shock-Wave Consolidation of Nanostructured Bismuth Telluride Powders. J. Electron. Mater. 41, 1595–1600 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11664-011-1878-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11664-011-1878-4

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