THE EFFECTS OF REACTOR IRRADIATION ON THE THERMOELECTRIC PROPERTIES OF LEAD AND BISMUTH TELLURIDES
Commercially available specimens of polycrystalline nand p-type lead telluride and n- and p-type bismuth telluride were irradiated in the Engineering Test Reactor. Total integrated flux times of 1.5 x 10/sup 20/ neutrons/cm/sup 2/ (thermal) and 1.6 x 10/sup 19/ neutrons/cm/sup 2/ (fast, i.e., for neutrons having energies greater than 1 (Mev) were accumulated by the specimens during irradiation. The specimen temperature during irradiation was 60 plus or minus 20 deg C. The effects of the irradiation on the thermoelectrical properties of these materials were found to be due almost entirely to fast neutrons insofar as most of the damage is healed during heat treatment. Increases in the electrical resistivity for irradiated n type PbTe and Bi/sub 2/Te/sub 3/ were found to anneal at temperatures below 200 deg C. Measurements of the electrical resistivity and Seebeck coefficient as a function of temperature for irradiated and unirradiated samples cut from the same ingot are given for all materials except p type PbTe. For the latter sample only the measurements of the Seebeck coefficient are given. (auth)
- Research Organization:
- Knolls Atomic Power Lab. (KAPL), Niskayuna, NY (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-31-109-ENG-52
- NSA Number:
- NSA-15-001911
- OSTI ID:
- 4136722
- Report Number(s):
- KAPL-2091
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: Orig. Receipt Date: 31-DEC-61
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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