Abstract
Zn4Sb3 composites have been prepared by plasma-activated sintering (PAS) using mixtures of Zn and Sb. Small amounts of ZnSb and Zn were found as impurity phases. Scanning electron microscopy revealed that metallic Zn was present along the particle boundaries. A sudden decline in the thermal conductivity was found at ∼ 600 K. However, this phenomenon disappeared after the application of heat treatment for 4 h. Further studies confirmed that this decline in the thermal conductivity is related to the reaction between ZnSb and Zn. The dynamic change in the structure during the reaction reduced the thermal conductivity and improved the thermoelectric performance of the Zn4Sb3 composites.
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Acknowledgments
This work has been supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 51602272), Natural Science Foundation of Fujian Province (Grant No. 2016J01745), and State Key Laboratory for Mechanical Behavior of Materials.
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Lin, J., Ma, L., Zheng, Z. et al. Thermoelectric Properties of Zn4Sb3 Composites with Incomplete Reaction. J. Electron. Mater. 48, 1159–1163 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11664-018-06851-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11664-018-06851-7