Abstract
FeSi2 alloys doped with Mn and Co (p-type Fe0.926Mn0.074Si2, n-type Fe0.980Co0.020Si2) were prepared by vacuum induction melting. The ingots were pulverized in a jet-mill, and the powders were granulated by spray drying method using aqueous polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) binder in order to investigate the possibility of production on a large scale. The powders granulated exhibited excellent characteristics of flowability, leading to the smooth feeding into a die cavity in compacting. The powders obtained were compacted at a pressure of 98 MPa. It was debindered at 723 K for 1 h and sintered at 1423 K for 5 h in a hydrogen atmosphere, so that the residual carbon and oxygen contents in a sintered body approached to those in the starting powder. Subsequently it was annealed at 1113 K for 100 h in an argon atmosphere, to produce the semiconducting β-FeSi2 phase. The thermoelectric figures of merit (Z) for optimum p- and n-type FeSi2 are 1.75 × 10−4 (K−1) and 2.0 × 10−4 (K−1) at about 900 K, respectively, which agree roughly with those obtained by Tani and Kido for FeSi2 materials prepared by the spark plasma sintering method. It indicates that the spray drying method leading to the production on a large scale is available for the fabrication of the thermoelectric FeSi2 materials.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
D. M. Rowe, “CRC Handbook of Thermoelectrics” (CRC Press, NewYork, 1995) p. 287.
I. Nishida, Phys. Rev. B 7 (1973) 2710.
T. Kojima, Phys. Status Solidi A 111 (1989) 233.
U. Birkholz and J. Schelm, ibid. 27 (1968) 413.
J. Hesse and K. Buckson, J. Mater. Sci. 5 (1972) 272.
I. Nishida, ibid. 7 (1972) 1119.
T. Sakata, Y. Sakai, H. Yoshino and H. Fujii, J. Less-Comm. Metals 61 (1978) 301.
E. Groß, M. Riffel and U. StÖhrer, J. Mater. Res. 10 (1995) 34.
W. S. Cho, S. W. Choi and K. Park, Mater. Sci. Eng. B 68 (1999) 116.
H. Takizawa, P. F. Mo, T. Endo and M. Shimada, J. Mater. Sci. 30 (1995) 4199.
J. Tani and H. Kido, J. Ceram. Soc. Japan 109 (2001) 557.
Idem., Jpn. J. Appl. Phys. 40 (2001) 3236.
Idem., J. Appl. Phys. 84 (1998) 1408.
H. Kido, J. Appl. Phys. Idem., ibid. 88 (2000) 5810.
A. Heinrich, H. Griessmann, G. Behr, K. Ivanenko, J. Schumann and H. Vinzelberg, Thin Solid Films 381 (2001) 287.
R. Hultgren, P. D. Desai, D. T. Hawkins, M. Gleiser and K. K. Kelley, “Selected Values of Binary Alloy” (Am. Soc. for Metals, Ohio, 1973) p. 873.
G. Behr, J. Werner, G. Weise, A. Heinrich, A. Burkov and C. Gladun, Phys. Status Solidi A160 (1997) 549.
C. H. Kloc, E. Arushanov, M. Wendl, H. Hohl, U. Malang and E. Bucher, J. Less-Comm. Metals 219 (1995) 93.
K. Master, “Spray Drying Handbook” (Longman Scientific & Technical, Harlow, 1991) p. 23.
O. Yamashita and Y. Kishimoto, Powder Metall. 41 (1998) 177.
M. Sagawa, S. Fujimura, N. Togawa, H. Yamamoto and Y. Matsuura, J. Appl. Phys. 55 (1984) 2083.
T. Kojima, M. Okamoto and I. Nishida, in Proceedings of the 5th International Conference on Thermoelectric Energy Conversion, Arlington, March, 1984, p. 56.
S.-C. Ur, I.-H. Kim and J.-L. Lee, Metals and Materials International 8 (2002) 169.
See, for example, “Semiconductor Physics” (Springer, Seeger, Berlin, 1997) p. 77.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Yamashita, O., Tomiyoshi, S. & Sadatomi, N. Thermoelectric properties of p- and n-type FeSi2 prepared by spray drying, compaction and sintering technique. Journal of Materials Science 38, 1623–1629 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1023251004461
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1023251004461