The thermoelectric properties of In_xCo_4Sb_(12) alloys prepared by HPHT

摘要

In_xCo_4Sb_(12) (0.1≤x≤0.5) skutterudite compounds with bcc crystal structure have been prepared by high-pressure and high-temperature (HPHT) method. Through this method, the processing time can be reduced from a few days to half an hour. The constituent phases of all resultant samples were determined by X-ray diffraction. The Seebeck coefficient, electrical resistivity, power factor and thermal conductivity of In_xCo_4Sb_(12) (0.1 ≤x≤0.5) were all measured in the temperature range of 302-665 K. Among all the samples, ln_(0.5)Co_4Sb_(12) showed the highest power factor of 31.3 uWcm~(-1) K~(-2) at 616 K and the lowest thermal conductivity of 2.193 Wm~(-1)K~(-1) at 568 K. As a result, the maximum dimensionless figure of merit (ZT) value of ln_(0.5)Co_4Sb_(12) reached 0.88 at 665 K, which can be attributed to its low thermal conductivity and high power factor.