Influence of ZnO Inclusions on the Low-Temperature Thermoelectric Properties of CoSb sub(3)

CoSb sub(3) composites with different amounts of ZnO nanoparticles (2 wt.% to 12 wt.%) were prepared from nanosized ZnO (commercial) and micron-sized CoSb sub(3) (obtained via solid-state reaction) particles mixed in solution and freeze dried. The resulting powders were densified by spark plasma sin...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of electronic materials 2012-06, Vol.41 (6), p.1181-1185
Main Authors: Chubilleau, C, Lenoir, B, Masschelein, P, Dauscher, A, Godart, C
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Freeze drying
Grain boundaries
Heat transfer
Inclusions
Nanostructure
Thermal conductivity
Thermoelectricity
Zinc oxide
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Summary:CoSb sub(3) composites with different amounts of ZnO nanoparticles (2 wt.% to 12 wt.%) were prepared from nanosized ZnO (commercial) and micron-sized CoSb sub(3) (obtained via solid-state reaction) particles mixed in solution and freeze dried. The resulting powders were densified by spark plasma sintering. The samples were characterized by x-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. It was found that ZnO forms micron-sized clusters at the grain boundaries of the matrix material. The thermoelectric properties (electrical resistivity, thermopower, and thermal conductivity) were measured in the 2 K to 300 K temperature range. Both the electrical and thermal conductivities were observed to decrease with increasing ZnO content. The dimensionless figure of merit ZT was improved by up to 30% at 300 K for the sample containing 2 wt.% ZnO.
ISSN:0361-5235