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Enhancing Thermoelectric Properties of Si 80 Ge 20 Alloys Utilizing the Decomposition of NaBH 4 in the Spark Plasma Sintering Process

Author

Listed:
  • Ali Lahwal

    (Department of Physics & Astronomy, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634, USA)

  • Xiaoyu Zeng

    (Department of Physics & Astronomy, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634, USA)

  • Sriparna Bhattacharya

    (Department of Physics & Astronomy, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634, USA
    Clemson Nanomaterials Center, and Center for Optical Materials Science and Engineering Technologies, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29625, USA)

  • Menghan Zhou

    (Department of Physics & Astronomy, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634, USA)

  • Dale Hitchcock

    (Department of Physics & Astronomy, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634, USA)

  • Mehmet Karakaya

    (Department of Physics & Astronomy, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634, USA
    Clemson Nanomaterials Center, and Center for Optical Materials Science and Engineering Technologies, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29625, USA)

  • Jian He

    (Department of Physics & Astronomy, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634, USA)

  • Apparao M. Rao

    (Department of Physics & Astronomy, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634, USA
    Clemson Nanomaterials Center, and Center for Optical Materials Science and Engineering Technologies, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29625, USA)

  • Terry M. Tritt

    (Department of Physics & Astronomy, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634, USA
    Department of Materials Science & Engineering, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634, USA)

Abstract

The thermoelectric properties of spark plasma sintered, ball-milled, p -type Si 80 Ge 20 -(NaBH 4 ) x (x = 0.7,1.7 and 2.7), and Si 80 Ge 20 B 1.7-y -(NaBH 4 ) y (y = 0.2 and 0.7) samples have been investigated from 30 K to 1100 K. These samples were prepared by spark plasma sintering of an admixture of Si , Ge , B and NaBH 4 powders. In particular, the degasing process during the spark plasma sintering process, the combined results of X-ray powder diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, Hall coefficient, electrical resistivity, and Seebeck coefficient measurements indicated that NaBH 4 decomposed into Na , B , Na 2 B 29 , and H 2 during the spark plasma sintering process; Na and B were doped into the SiGe lattice, resulting in favorable changes in the carrier concentration and the power factor. In addition, the ball milling process and the formation of Na 2 B 29 nanoparticles resulted in stronger grain boundary scattering of heat-carrying phonons, leading to a reduced lattice thermal conductivity. As a result, a significant improvement in the figure of merit ZT (60%) was attained in p -type Si 80 Ge 20 -(NaBH 4 ) 1.7 and Si 80 Ge 20 -B 1.5 (NaBH 4 ) 0.7 at 1100 K as compared to the p -type B-doped Si 80 Ge 20 material used in the NASA’s radioactive thermoelectric generators. This single-step “doping-nanostructuring” procedure can possibly be applied to other thermoelectric materials.

Suggested Citation

  • Ali Lahwal & Xiaoyu Zeng & Sriparna Bhattacharya & Menghan Zhou & Dale Hitchcock & Mehmet Karakaya & Jian He & Apparao M. Rao & Terry M. Tritt, 2015. "Enhancing Thermoelectric Properties of Si 80 Ge 20 Alloys Utilizing the Decomposition of NaBH 4 in the Spark Plasma Sintering Process," Energies, MDPI, vol. 8(10), pages 1-13, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:8:y:2015:i:10:p:10958-10970:d:56584
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Rama Venkatasubramanian & Edward Siivola & Thomas Colpitts & Brooks O'Quinn, 2001. "Thin-film thermoelectric devices with high room-temperature figures of merit," Nature, Nature, vol. 413(6856), pages 597-602, October.
    2. Allon I. Hochbaum & Renkun Chen & Raul Diaz Delgado & Wenjie Liang & Erik C. Garnett & Mark Najarian & Arun Majumdar & Peidong Yang, 2008. "Enhanced thermoelectric performance of rough silicon nanowires," Nature, Nature, vol. 451(7175), pages 163-167, January.
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