Comparison of Structures of Bi_(0.5)Sb_(1.5)Te_3 Thermoelectric Materials, Obtained by the Hot-Pressing and Spark Plasma Sintering Methods

摘要

A comparative analysis of structures of compact samples of Bi_(0.5)Sb_(1.5)Te_3 thermoelectric materials, obtained by the spark plasma sintering (SPS) and traditional hot-pressing methods, was performed by the X-ray diffractometry and scanning electron microscopy methods. It is shown that the spark plasma sintering method failed to obtain structure sizes smaller than the hot-pressing method. However, the sintering quality, characterized by the absence of pores and cracks, and sizes of fragments of the fractured surface, is higher at comparable temperatures in the samples obtained by the SPS-method.