Grain growth behavior and enhanced thermoelectric properties of PbTe consolidated by high-density pulse current

Camphor sulfonic acid incorporation in SnO2/polyaniline nanocomposites for improved thermoelectric energy conversion

“…Nevertheless, the power factor of conducting polymers is relatively much lower than that of inorganic TE materials due to their lower thermopower ( S ). To date, nearly all the reported power factor values for pure PANI are in the order of 10 −6 W m −1 K −2 or less, 18 and this is nearly three orders of magnitude lower than that of traditional inorganic-based TE materials, such as Pb–Te-based alloys, 19,20 Bi–Te-based alloys, 21,22 Sn–Se-based alloys, 23–25 and Ge-Te-based alloys. 26 Thus, the main challenge is to attain a considerably higher TE power factor for π-conjugated conducting polymers for their use in thermoelectric devices.…”

Processing High-Performance Thermoelectric Materials in a Green Way: A Proof of Concept in Cold Sintered PbTe0.94Se0.06

“…However, considering the throughput, energy consumption, and the expensive apparatus, the SPS technology has not been widely accepted by the industry so far. Note that the commercial TE materials such as Bi 2 Te 3 are still produced by zone melting, despite the more attractive ZT achieved by SPS. , Moreover, there are several inherent shortcomings in SPS for TE material processing: (1) the Joule heating under a vacuum can accelerate the precipitation or evaporation of some elements (i.e., Pb and S), ,, (2) the inhomogeneity of the temperature field usually exists perpendicular to the electrical field, and (3) gradient distribution of elements and grain size may take place along the electrical field . Therefore, an energy saving and cost-effective sintering technology with mild processing conditions (low temperature, ambient atmosphere, etc.)…”