An Electrical Contacts Study for Tetrahedrite-Based Thermoelectric Generators

High electrical and thermal contact resistances can ruin a thermoelectric device's performance, and thus, the use of effective diffusion barriers and optimization of joining methods are crucial to implement them. In this work, the use of carbon as a Cu Mn Sb S tetrahedrite diffusion barrier, an...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Materials 2022-09, Vol.15 (19), p.6698
Main Authors: Coelho, Rodrigo, De Abreu, Yassine, Carvalho, Francisco, Branco Lopes, Elsa, Gonçalves, António Pereira
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aluminum
Climate change
Contact resistance
Copper
Diffraction
Diffusion barriers
Electric contacts
Electric generators
Electrodes
Emulsion paint
Fixation
Graphical user interface
Graphite
Heat
Hot pressing
Internet of Things
Jointing
Optimization
Plasma sintering
Semiconductors
Thermoelectric generators
Thermoelectricity
X-ray spectroscopy
X-rays
Zinc compounds
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Summary:High electrical and thermal contact resistances can ruin a thermoelectric device's performance, and thus, the use of effective diffusion barriers and optimization of joining methods are crucial to implement them. In this work, the use of carbon as a Cu Mn Sb S tetrahedrite diffusion barrier, and the effectiveness of different fixation techniques for the preparation of tetrahedrite/copper electrical contacts were investigated. Contacts were prepared using as jointing materials Ni and Ag conductive paints and resins, and a Zn-5wt% Al solder. Manual, cold- and hot-pressing fixation techniques were explored. The contact resistance was measured using a custom-made system based on the three points pulsed-current method. The legs interfaces (Cu/graphite/tetrahedrite) were investigated by optical and scanning electron microscopies, complemented with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction. No interfacial phases were formed between the graphite and the tetrahedrite or Cu, pointing to graphite as a good diffusion barrier. Ag water-based paint was the best jointing material, but the use of hot pressing without jointing materials proves to be the most reliable technique, presenting the lowest contact resistance values. Computer simulations using the software were performed to complement this study, indicating that high contact resistances strongly reduce the power output of thermoelectric devices.
ISSN:1996-1944
1996-1944
DOI:10.3390/ma15196698