Abstract

The present study was focused on the analysis of the electric and thermal properties of spark plasma sintered Bi_0.5Sb_1.5Te_3 thermoelectric material. The crystal structure, microstructure, electric and thermal properties of the sintered body were evaluated by measuring XRD, SEM, electric resistivity, Hall effect and thermal conductivity. The Bi_0.5Sb_1.5Te_3 sintered body showed anisotropic crystal structure. The c-axis of the Bi_0.5Sb_1.5Te_3 crystal aligned in a parallel direction with applied pressure during spark plasma sintering. The degree of the crystal alignment increased with increasing sintering temperature and sintering time. The electric resistivity and thermal conductivity of the Bi_0.5Sb_1.5Te_3 sintered body showed anisotropic characteristics result from crystal alignment.

• Keywords: Bismuth telluride;Thermoelectric material;Spark plasma sintering;Crystal structure;Electric resistivity;Thermal conductivity;