Polycrystalline MnBi as a transverse thermoelectric material

Abstract

To assess the potential of polycrystalline MnBi as a transverse thermoelectric material, we have experimentally investigated its anomalous Nernst effect (ANE) by means of the heat flux method. We prepared MnBi samples by powder metallurgy; this technique allows the preparation of samples in arbitrary shapes with the possibility to tailor their magnetic properties. In the material exhibiting the highest remanent magnetization, we found a value of the ANE thermopower of −1.1 μV/K at 1 T, after the compensation of the ordinary Nernst effect from pure bismuth present inside the polycrystalline sample. This value is comparable with those reported in the literature for single crystals.