• Proceedings of the Korean Powder Metallurgy Institute Conference
• /
• 2006.09a
• /
• pp.665-666
• /
• 2006

Undoped $CoSb_3$ powders were synthesized by mechanical alloying (MA) of elemental powders using a nominal stoichiometric composition. Nano-structured, single-phase skutterudite $CoSb_3$ was successfully produced by vacuum hot pressing (VHP) using MA powders without subsequent annealing. Phase transformations during synthesis were investigated using XRD, and microstructure was observed using SEM and TEM. Thermoelectric properties in terms of Seebeck coefficient, electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity and figure of merit(ZT) were systematically measured and compared with the results of analogous studies. Lattice thermal conductivity was reduced owing to increasing phone scattering in nano-structured MA $CoSb_3$, leading to enhancement in the thermoelectric figure of merit. MA associated with VHP technique offers an alternative potential processing route for the process of skutterudite.

• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
• /
• v.27 no.4
• /
• pp.481-486
• /
• 1990

Microstructure of polycrystalline Lead Telluride was controlled by the change of sintering conditions. Three properties which determine the thermoelectric figure of merit of the material were measured in the temperature range of 300-650K in order to investigate the effect of each sintering condition on the thermoelectric efficiency. Based on the observed experimental results, defect structure is concluded to be more important than microstructure though both can be controlled by processing variables.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
• /
• 2014.02a
• /
• pp.304.2-304.2
• /
• 2014

Chalcogenides (Te,Se) and pnictogens(Bi,Sb) materials have been widely investigated as thermoelectric materials. Especially, Bi2Te3 (Bismuth telluride) compound thermoelectric materials in thin film and nanowires are known to have the highest thermoelectric figure of merit ZT at room temperature. Currently, the thermoelectric material research is mostly driven in two directions: (1) enhancing the Seebeck coefficient, electrical conductivity using quantum confinement effects and (2) decreasing thermal conductivity using phonon scattering effect. Herein we demonstrated influence of annealing temperature on structural and thermoelectrical properties of Bismuth-telluride-selenide ternary compound thin film. Te-rich Bismuth-telluride-selenide ternary compound thin film prepared co-deposited by thermal evaporation techniques. After annealing treatment, co-deposited thin film was transformed amorphous phase to Bi2Te3-Bi2Te2Se1 polycrystalline thin film. In the experiment, to investigate the structural and thermoelectric characteristics of Bi2Te3-i2Te2Se1 films, we measured Rutherford Backscattering spectrometry (RBS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, Scanning eletron microscopy (SEM), Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Seebeck coefficient measurement and Hall measurement. After annealing treatment, electrical conductivity and Seebeck coefficient was increased by defect states dominated by selenium vacant sites. These charged selenium vacancies behave as electron donors, resulting in carrier concentration was increased. Moreover, Thermal conductivity was significantly decreased because phonon scattering was enhanced through the grain boundary in Bi2Te3-Bi2Te2Se1 polycrystalline compound. As a result, The enhancement of thermoelectric figure-of-merit could be obtained by optimal annealing treatment.

• Journal of Powder Materials
• /
• v.7 no.1
• /
• pp.6-11
• /
• 2000

Two kinds of Bi2Te3 powders, pure Bi2Te3/2vol.%ZrO2, have been prepared by a mechanical grinding process process. Effect of mixing of the powders on thermoelectric of the sintered body has been investigated by measuring Seebeck Coeffcient, specific electric resistivity and thermal conductivity. With an increase in the weight fraction of the Bi2Te3/2vol.%ZrO2 powder from 0 to 40wt.%. Especially, the figure of merit of the mixedBi2Te3 sintered body increases and thereafter dedreases above 40wt.%. Especially. the figure of merit of the mixed Bi2Te3 sintered bodies with mixing of Bi2Te3/2vol.%ZrO2 powder increased about 1.3time in comparison with the value of the specimen before mixing. Mixing of two kinds of Bi2Te3 powders which have different theramal and electric propertries with each other seemed to be useful methob to increase the figure of merit of Bi2Te3 sintered body.

• Korean Journal of Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Engineering
• /
• v.26 no.7
• /
• pp.329-334
• /
• 2014

This study indicated the possibility of energy regeneration from waste coolant heat, by using thermoelectric generation integrated with heat pipe. The internal combustion engine rejects more than 60% wasteful energy to the atmosphere by heat. The thermoelectric generator has recently been studied, to convert the energy from engine waste heat into electricity. For coolant waste heat recovery, a thermoelectric generator was investigated, to find out the possibility of vehicular application. Performance characteristics were conducted with various test conditions of coolant temperature, coolant mass flow rate, air temperature, and air velocity, with the thermoelectric generator installed either horizontally or vertically. Experimental results show that the electric power and conversion efficiency increases according to the temperature difference between the hot and cold side of the thermoelectric generator, and the coolant flow rate of the hot side heat exchanger. Performance improvement can be expected by optimizing the heat pipe design.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
• /
• v.22 no.6
• /
• pp.280-284
• /
• 2012

Bismuth antimony telluride (BiSbTe) thermoelectric materials were successfully prepared by a spark plasma sintering process. Crystalline BiSbTe ingots were crushed into small pieces and then attrition milled into fine powders of about 300 nm ~ 2${\mu}m$ size under argon gas. Spark plasma sintering was applied on the BiSbTe powders at 240, 320, and $380^{\circ}C$, respectively, under a pressure of 40 MPa in vacuum. The heating rate was $50^{\circ}C$/min and the holding time at the sintering temperature was 10 min. At all sintering temperatures, high density bulk BiSbTe was successfully obtained. The XRD patterns verify that all samples were well matched with the $Bi_{0.5}Sb_{1.5}Te_{3}$. Seebeck coefficient (S), electric conductivity (${\sigma}$) and thermal conductivity (k) were evaluated in a temperature range of $25{\sim}300^{\circ}C$. The thermoelectric properties of BiSbTe were evaluated by the thermoelectric figure of merit, ZT (ZT = $S^2{\sigma}T$/k). The grain size and electric conductivity of sintered BiSbTe increased as the sintering temperature increased but the thermal conductivity was similar at all sintering temperatures. Grain growth reduced the carrier concentration, because grain growth reduced the grain boundaries, which serve as acceptors. Meanwhile, the carrier mobility was greatly increased and the electric conductivity was also improved. Consequentially, the grains grew with increasing sintering temperature and the figure of merit was improved.

• Journal of Powder Materials
• /
• v.18 no.5
• /
• pp.401-405
• /
• 2011

Half-heusler phase ZrNiSn is one of the potential thermoelectric materials for high temperature application. In an attempt to investigate the effect of Sb doping on thermoelectric properties, half-heusler phase $ZrNiSn_{1-x}Sb_x$ ($0{\leq}x{\leq}0.08$) was synthesized by mechanical alloying of stoichiometric elemental powder compositions, and consolidated by vacuum hot pressing. Phase transformations during mechanical alloying and hot consolidation were investigated using XRD. Sb doped ZrNiSn was successfully produced in all doping ranges by vacuum hot pressing using as-milled powders without subsequent annealing. Thermoelectric properties as functions of temperature and Sb contents were evaluated for the hot pressed specimens. Sb doping up to x=0.04 in $ZrNiSn_{1-x}Sb_x$ was shown to be effective on thermoelectric properties and the figure of merit (ZT) was shown to reach to the maximum at x=0.02 in this study.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
• /
• v.26 no.10
• /
• pp.1333-1340
• /
• 2002

The objective of this study is to develop a thermoelectric generation system which converts unused energy from close-at-hand sources such as garbage incineration heat and industrial exhaust etc. into electricity. This paper presents applicability of a commercially available thermoelectric generator f3r waster heat recovery. The test facility consists of water heater, pump, thermoelectric module and aluminium tubes and hot and cold water is used as heat source and sink fluids. It is shown that the three components of thermoelectric research exist in manufacturing a thermoelectric generator. The first component is fabrication of thermoelectric materials, the second is manufacturing of thermoelectric generator with 32 thermoelectric modules. The last one is characteristic measuring of thermoelectric generator with 32 thermoelectric modules of two types, cooling and power purpose. It was found that the rate of cold and hot water is 25 and 37 liter per minute and the maximum power of thermoelectric generator is 28Watts and its efficiency is 1.04%.

• Journal of the Microelectronics and Packaging Society
• /
• v.17 no.2
• /
• pp.49-54
• /
• 2010

The n-type $Bi_2(Te,Se)_3$ powders were fabricated by melting/grinding method and were hot-pressed in order to compare thermoelectric properties of the hot-pressed specimens with those of the $Bi_2(Te,Se)_3$ ingot. Effects of mechanical milling treatment of the $Bi_2(Te,Se)_3$ powders on thermoelectric characteristics of a hot-pressed specimen were also examined. The hot-pressed $Bi_2(Te,Se)_3$ exhibited power factors of $27.3{\sim}32.3{\times}10^{-4}W/m-K^2$ which were superior to $24.2{\times}10^{-4}W/m-K^2$ of the ingot. The $Bi_2(Te,Se)_3$, hot-pressed after mechanical milling treatment of the powders, possessed a non-dimensional figure-of-merit of 1.02 at $100^{\circ}C$ and exhibited extrinsic-intrinsic transition at $130^{\circ}C$.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
• /
• v.16 no.10
• /
• pp.647-651
• /
• 2006

A new class of compounds in the form of skutterudite structure, Fe doped $CoSb_3$ with a nominal composition of $Fe_xCo_{4-x}Sb_{12}$ ($0{\leq}x{\leq}2.5$), were synthesized by mechanical alloying of elemental powders followed by vacuum hot pressing. Nanostructured, single-phase skutterudites were successfully produced by vacuum hot pressing using as-milled powders without subsequent heat-treatments for the compositions of $x{\leq}1.5$. However, second phase was found to form in case of $x{\geq}2$, suggesting the solubility limit of Fe with Co in this system. Thermoelectric properties including thermal conductivity from 300 to 600 K were measured and discussed. Lattice thermal conductivity was greatly reduced by introducing a dopant up to x=1.5 as well as by increasing phonon scattering in nanostructured skutterudite, leading to enhancement in the thermoelectric figure of merit. The maximum figure of merit was found to be 0.32 at 600 K in the composition of $Fe_xCo_{4-x}Sb_{12}$.