Investigation on structure and thermoelectric properties in p-type Bi_(0.48)Sb_(1.52)_Te_3 via PbTe incorporating

摘要

Bismuth telluride alloys are the most commercially used thermoelectric materials. Herein, Bi~(0.48)Sb~(1.52)Te~(3) +  x wt% PbTe ( x  = 0, 0.05, 0.1, and 0.15) composites have been prepared by the zone-melting method. The microstructure and thermoelectric properties of the composites are investigated. It is found that PbTe addition could effectively improve the electrical properties of Bi~(0.48)Sb~(1.52)Te~(3). As a result, a very large power factor of 55.5 µW cm_(−1) K_(−2)is achieved at 300 K for x  = 0.05. Compared with the matrix, the largest figure of merit ZT for the composites shows slight enhancement, and the average figure of merit ZT ~( ave )is obviously improved. This work indicated that a trace amount of PbTe can effectively improve the thermoelectric performance of Bi~(0.48)Sb~(1.52)Te~(3).