Effect of preparation procedure and nanostructuring on the thermoelectric properties of the lead telluride-based material system AgPb{sub m}BiTe{sub 2+m} (BLST-m)

Journal Article · Tue Jun 07 00:00:00 EDT 2016 · Journal of Applied Physics

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4952982· OSTI ID:22596758

Falkenbach, Oliver; Koch, Guenter; Schlecht, Sabine ^[1]; Schmitz, Andreas ^[2]; Hartung, David; Klar, Peter J. ^[3]; Dankwort, Torben; Kienle, Lorenz ^[4]; Mueller, Eckhard ^[1]

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1. Institute for Inorganic and Analytical Chemistry, Justus-Liebig-University, Heinrich-Buff-Ring 17, D-35392 Giessen (Germany)
2. Institute of Materials Research, German Aerospace Center (DLR), D-51170 Cologne (Germany)
3. Institute of Experimental Physics I, Justus-Liebig-University, Heinrich-Buff-Ring 16, D-35392 Giessen (Germany)
4. Institute for Material Science, Christian-Albrechts-University, Kaiserstrasse 2, D-24143 Kiel (Germany)

We report on the preparation and thermoelectric properties of the quaternary system AgPb{sub m}BiTe{sub 2+m} (Bismuth-Lead-Silver-Tellurium, BLST-m) that were nanostructured by mechanical alloying. Nanopowders of various compositions were compacted by three different methods: cold pressing/annealing, hot pressing, and short term sintering. The products are compared with respect to microstructure and sample density. The thermoelectric properties were measured: thermal conductivity in the temperature range from 300 K to 800 K and electrical conductivity and Seebeck coefficient between 100 K and 800 K. The compacting method and the composition had a substantial impact on carrier concentration and mobility as well as on the thermoelectric parameters. Room temperature Hall measurements yielded carrier concentrations in the order of 10{sup 19 }cm{sup −3}, slightly increasing with increasing content of the additive silver bismuth telluride to the lead telluride base. ZT values close to the ones of bulk samples were achieved. X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) showed macroscopically homogeneous distributions of the constituting elements inside the nanopowders ensembles, indicating a solid solution. However, high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) revealed disorder on the nanoscale inside individual nanopowders grains.

• OSTI ID: 22596758
• Journal Information: Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 119, Issue 21; Other Information: (c) 2016 Author(s); Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0021-8979
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS
SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
ANNEALING
BISMUTH TELLURIDES
COLD PRESSING
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
CONCENTRATION RATIO
ELECTRONS
HOT PRESSING
LEAD
LEAD TELLURIDES
MICROSTRUCTURE
NANOSTRUCTURES
POWDERS
SILVER TELLURIDES
SINTERING
TELLURIUM
TEMPERATURE RANGE 0273-0400 K
THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY
THERMOELECTRIC PROPERTIES
TRANSMISSION ELECTRON MICROSCOPY
X-RAY DIFFRACTION