Sintering process in ball-milled K2Bi8Se13 nano-composites

Abstract

K2Bi8Se13 material has many attractive features for thermoelectric applications. Recently, K2Bi 8Se13 based nanocomposite materials, consisting of nano-crystalline, micro-crystalline and amorphous phases, have been fabricated based on powder technology techniques. The Seebeck coefficient has been enhanced and the thermal conductivity has been decreased, thus presenting interesting behavior. The study of the behavior of materials under different heat treatment conditions is of interest in terms of reversibility and stability of the structural features, as the application of sintering process is necessary for the development of thermoelectric modules. In this work, structural features, thermal and thermoelectric properties have been studied under heat treatment applied into K2Bi8Se13 nano-composites. © 2012 American Institute of Physics.