Enhanced Thermoelectric Performance in PbTe-PbS Nanocomposites

Yu Zhao, Deepam Maurya, Andrew Miner, Giti A. Khodaparast, Shashank Priya

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

5 Scopus citations

Abstract

In this study, we investigate the changes occurring in the microstructure and thermoelectric properties of PbTe0.9S0.1 alloy (PbTe-PbS) under varying thermal treatment conditions. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) studies were utilized to reveal the distribution of nano-precipitates in the annealed alloy. PbTe0.9S0.1 alloy with PbS phase precipitates displayed a significant reduction in the thermal conductivity and an enhancement in the Seebeck coefficient. The 47% reduction in lattice thermal conductivity at the measurement temperature of 300°C in the alloy annealed at 400°C was attributed to the phonon scattering occurring due to the presence of nano-precipitates. The annealed alloy displayed higher electrical conductivity at room temperature than that of the alloy without annealing. The maximum figure of merit, ZT, was found to be 0.76 at 300°C in the alloy annealed at 400°C.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)55-62
Number of pages8
JournalEnergy Harvesting and Systems
Volume2
Issue number1-2
DOIs
StatePublished - Jun 1 2015
Externally publishedYes

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2015 Walter de Gruyter GmbH. All rights reserved.

Keywords

  • electrical property
  • nano-precipitates
  • thermal conductivity
  • thermoelectric

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