Showing papers on "Seebeck coefficient published in 1996"
TL;DR: A class of thermoelectric materials has been synthesized with a thermoeLECTric figure of merit ZT near 1 at 800 kelvin, which is comparable to the best ZT values obtained for any previously studied thermOElectric material.
Abstract: A class of thermoelectric materials has been synthesized with a thermoelectric figure of merit ZT (where T is temperature and Z is a function of thermopower, electrical resistivity, and thermal conductivity) near 1 at 800 kelvin. Although these materials have not been optimized, this value is comparable to the best ZT values obtained for any previously studied thermoelectric material. Calculations indicate that the optimized material should have ZT values of 1.4. These ternary semiconductors have the general formula RM4X12 (where R is lanthanum, cerium, praseodymium, neodymium, or europium; M is iron, ruthenium, or osmium; and X is phosphorus, arsenic, or antimony) and represent a new approach to creating improved thermoelectric materials. Several alloys in the composition range CeFe4-xCoxSb12 or LaFe4-xCoxSb12 (0 < x < 4) have large values of ZT.
1,820 citations
TL;DR: A delta-shaped transport distribution is found to maximize the thermoelectric properties, indicating that a narrow distribution of the energy of the electrons participating in the transport process is needed for maximum thermoelectedric efficiency.
Abstract: What electronic structure provides the largest figure of merit for thermoelectric materials? To answer that question, we write the electrical conductivity, thermopower, and thermal conductivity as integrals of a single function, the transport distribution. Then we derive the mathematical function for the transport distribution, which gives the largest figure of merit. A delta-shaped transport distribution is found to maximize the thermoelectric properties. This result indicates that a narrow distribution of the energy of the electrons participating in the transport process is needed for maximum thermoelectric efficiency. Some possible realizations of this idea are discussed.
1,441 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the thermoelectric properties of the skutterudite compound CoSb3 were investigated on single crystals grown by the Bridgman gradient freeze technique and the results of the transport property measurements are discussed and are in agreement with some recent predictions based on band structure calculations.
Abstract: A study of the thermoelectric properties of the skutterudite compound CoSb3 was carried out on single crystals grown by the Bridgman gradient freeze technique. p‐ and n‐type samples were obtained over a wide range of carrier concentration. Undoped As‐grown crystals show p‐type conductivity while n‐type samples were obtained by addition of Te or Pd. Samples were characterized by x‐ray diffractometry, electron microprobe analysis, and density measurements. The physical properties of CoSb3 such as linear thermal expansion coefficient, sound velocity, and Debye temperature were also determined and are presented. Seebeck coefficient, electrical resistivity, thermal conductivity, and Hall effect measurements were performed between room temperature and about 900 K. Exceptionally high Hall mobilities were obtained on p‐type samples with a maximum room‐temperature Hall mobility of 3300 cm2 V−1 s−1 at a carrier concentration of 1×1017 cm−3. The results of the transport property measurements are discussed and are in agreement with some recent predictions based on band structure calculations. The potential of CoSb3 for thermoelectric applications is evaluated.
596 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, a mixed oxide (Zn1−x Al x )O exhibits promising thermoelectric properties attaining a dimensionless figure of merit ZT of 0.30 at 1000°C, which value is much superior to other oxides and quite comparable to conventional state-of-the-art thermolectricmaterials.
Abstract: A mixed oxide (Zn1−x Al x )O exhibits promising thermoelectricproperties attaining a dimensionless figure of merit ZT of 0.30 at 1000 °C, which value is much superior to other oxides and quite comparable to conventional state‐of‐the‐art thermoelectricmaterials. The addition of a small amount of Al2O3 to ZnO results in a large power factor of 10–15×10−4 W/mK2, showing a marked increase in the electrical conductivity while retaining moderate thermoelectric power. A large product of the carrier mobility and density of states would be responsible for the favorable electrical properties of the present oxide. A figure of merit Z=0.24×10−3 K−1 is attained by (Zn0.98Al0.02)O at 1000 °C, even with a high thermal conductivity. A predominant proportion of the phononthermal conductivity promises a further improvement in the thermoelectric performance by selective enhancement of phonon scattering.
563 citations
TL;DR: The occurrence of giant magnetoresistance is linked to the presence of an optimal proportion of $Mn^{4+}$ ions and is found in the rhombohedral and the cubic structures where the Mn-O distance is less than 1.97 \AA.
Abstract: Results of a detailed investigation of the structure and electron-transport properties of $La_{1-x}A_xMnO_3$ (A =Ca, Sr) over a wide range of compositions are presented along with those of parent $LaMnO_3$ containing different percentages of $Mn^{4+}$. The electrical resistivity $(\rho)$ and magnetoresistance (MR) of polycrystalline pellets have been measured in the 4.2–400 K range in magnetic fields up to 6 T and the Seebeck coefficient (S) from 100 to 400 K. The electrical measurements were supplemented by ac susceptibility and magnetization measurements. MR is large and negative over a substantial range of compositions and peaks around temperatures close to the ferromagnetic transition temperatures $(T_c)$. An insulator to metal-like transition occurs near the $T_c$ and the temperature dependence of $\rho$ below $T_c$ is related to the magnetization although $\rho$ in the metallic state is generally much larger than the Mott’s maximum metallic resistivity. The occurrence of giant magnetoresistance is linked to the presence of an optimal proportion of $Mn^{4+}$ ions and is found in the rhombohedral and the cubic structures where the Mn-O distance is less than 1.97 \AA and the Mn-O-Mn angle is $170^o\pm10^o$. The field dependence of MR shows the presence of two distinct regimes. The thermopower S shows a positive peak in the composition range at a temperature where MR also peaks; S becomes more negative with increase in $Mn^{4+}$.
448 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors focused on the investigation of the transport properties of BiSb alloys and measured electrical resistivity, thermoelectric power and thermal conductivity in a direction perpendicular or parallel to the trigonal axis within the temperature range 4.2 - 300 K on various alloy compositions containing up to 18.2 at.
227 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, homologous compounds of (ZnO){sub m}In{sub 2}O{sub 3} (m = integer) with layered structures were synthesized by reaction-sintering a mixed powder of ZnO and In {sub 2]O{Sub 3} at 1,823 K for 2 h in air, and their thermoelectric properties were measured at 500 to 1,100 K.
Abstract: Homologous compounds of (ZnO){sub m}In{sub 2}O{sub 3} (m = integer) with layered structures were synthesized by reaction-sintering a mixed powder of ZnO and In{sub 2}O{sub 3} at 1,823 K for 2 h in air, and their thermoelectric properties, i.e., electrical conductivity, Seebeck coefficient, and thermal conductivity, were measured at 500 to 1,100 K. Their thermoelectric figure of merit depended on the composition, and an optimum value of m apparently existed giving the largest figure of merit.
205 citations
TL;DR: In this article, two graphite-like materials of composition BC0.8-1.0H0.9H 0.4-0.7 and BC3.0-3.2-2 have been described, which are described as BCN(H) and BCNB(H), respectively, by the interaction of acetonitrile with boron trichloride in a hydrogen and nitrogen atmosphere.
Abstract: New graphite-like materials of composition BC0.9-1.3N0.8-0.9H0.4-0.7 and BC3.0-3.2N0.8-1.0H0.2-2, which are described as BCN(H) and BC3N(H), have been prepared by the interaction of acetonitrile with boron trichloride in a hydrogen and nitrogen atmosphere and acrylonitrile with boron trichloride, respectively. X-ray and electron diffraction analyses indicate that these materials have hexagonal structures similar to that of graphite. ESCA spectra and the possible chemical bonds suggest that the ideal structure of BCN is made of the unit structure of BC2N + BN, while BC3N is composed of BC3N + BNC3. A BCN(H) plate has a basal-plane conductivity of 1.28 (Ω cm)-1 at room temperature, while a BC3N(H) plate has that of 88.5 (Ω cm)-1. Thermoelectric measurements indicate that both materials behave as p-type semiconductors and a BCN(H) plate has a high Seebeck coefficient of 300 μV/°K at room temperature in air.
194 citations
TL;DR: In this article, electrical conductivity, thermoelectric power and weight changes were measured between room temperature and 800 or 1000 °C on CuO with varying sintering temperatures to determine nonstoichiometric and defect properties of CuO.
157 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the effects of grinding and sintering processes on the Seebeck coefficient, electrical conductivity, and thermoelectric figure of merit were investigated for different particle sizes.
134 citations
TL;DR: Substitution of Na, K, Rb, and Sr for La in the perovskite type structure complex oxide LaMnO 3 were carried out and their structure and properties were investigated.
26 Mar 1996
TL;DR: In this article, the thermoelectric properties on the multiple-quantum-well structures of PbTe/Pb/sub 1-x/Eu/sub x/Te grown by molecular beam epitaxy were investigated.
Abstract: Experimental investigations have been performed on the thermoelectric properties on the multiple-quantum-well structures of PbTe/Pb/sub 1-x/Eu/sub x/Te grown by molecular beam epitaxy. Our results are found to be consistent with theoretical predictions and indicate that an increase in Z over bulk values may be possible through quantum confinement effects using quantum-well structures.
TL;DR: In this article, the electrical properties of ZrO 2 -CeO 2 solid solutions are investigated as functions of the temperature between 200 and 1000 °C and of the ceria molar fraction between 16 and 100% (pure CeO 2 ).
26 Mar 1996
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors proposed a new thermoelectric material with superior transport properties at high temperatures, called filled skutterudites, which can be represented by the formula LnT/sub 4/Pn/sub 12/ (Ln=rare earth, Th; T=Fe, Rn, Os, Co, Rh, Ir; Pn=P, As, Sb).
Abstract: New thermoelectric materials with superior transport properties at high temperatures have been discovered. These materials are part of the large family of skutterudites, a class of compounds which have shown a good potential for thermoelectric applications. The composition of these novel materials, called filled skutterudites, is derived from the skutterudite crystal structure and can be represented by the formula LnT/sub 4/Pn/sub 12/ (Ln=rare earth, Th; T=Fe, Rn, Os, Co, Rh, Ir; Pn=P, As, Sb). In these compounds, the empty octants of the skutterudite structure which are formed in the TPn/sub 3/ (/spl sim/T/sub 4/Pn/sub 12/) framework are filled with a rare earth element. Some of these compositions, based on CeFe/sub 4/Sb/sub 12/, have been prepared by a combination of melting and powder metallurgy techniques and have shown exceptional thermoelectric properties in the 350-700/spl deg/C temperature range. At room temperature, CeFe/sub 4/Sb/sub 12/ behaves as a p-type semimetal, but with a low thermal conductivity and surprisingly large Seebeck coefficient. These results are consistent with some recent band structure calculations on these compounds. Replacing Fe with Co in CeFe/sub 4/Sb/sub 12/ and increasing the Co:Fe atomic ratio resulted in an increase in the Seebeck coefficient values. The possibility of obtaining n-type conductivity filled skutterudites for Co:Fe values higher than 1:3 is currently being investigated. Measurements on bulk samples with a CeFe/sub 3.5/Co/sub 0.5/Sb/sub 12/ atomic composition and p-type conductivity resulted in dimensionless figure of merit ZT values of 1.4 at 600/spl deg/C.
TL;DR: In this article, the transport and magnetic properties of the spin-1 2 ladder system with two legs were investigated, and it was shown that the magnetic susceptibility exhibits a broad peak around 80 K for x = 0, which implies the presence of a spin gap.
Abstract: We have investigated the transport and magnetic properties of the spin - 1 2 ladder system with two legs Sr 14− x A x Cu 24 O 41 (A Ba and Ca). For x = 0, both electrical resistivity and thermoelectric power exhibit semiconductive behavior. It becomes more insulating with the increase in x (Ba), while it becomes more conductive with the increase in x (Ca). A metal-insulator transition is found at x (Ca) = 6.0–8.4 from the thermoelectric power measurements. The magnetic susceptibility exhibits a broad peak around 80 K for x = 0. Subtracting the Curie component at low temperatures, the remainder of the susceptibility χ s ( T ) decreases toward zero with decreasing temperature below ∼80 K, which implies the presence of a spin gap. The temperature at which the broad peak shows the maximum changes little through the partial substitution of Ba and Ca for Sr. However, the value of χ s ( T ) decreases with the increase in x (Ba), while it tends to increase with the increase in x (Ca). These properties are discussed in terms of the redistribution of holes between the two different sites of Cu. It appears that the observed spin gap behavior is due to Cu 2+ spins in the CuO 2 chain rather than in the Cu 2 O 3 plane.
TL;DR: In this paper, a class of thermoelectric materials has been synthesized with a ZT of 1.4 at 800 kelvin, where T is temperature and Z is a function of thermopower, electrical resistivity, and thermal conductivity.
Abstract: A class of thermoelectric materials has been synthesized with a thermoelectric figure of merit ZT (where T is temperature and Z is a function of thermopower, electrical resistivity, and thermal conductivity) near 1 at 800 kelvin. Although these materials have not been optimized, this value is comparable to the best ZT values obtained for any previously studied thermoelectric material. Calculations indicate that the optimized material should have ZT values of 1.4. These ternary semiconductors have the general formula RM4X12 (where R is lanthanum, cerium, praseodymium, neodymium, or europium; M is iron, ruthenium, or osmium; and X is phosphorus, arsenic, or antimony) and represent a new approach to creating improved thermoelectric materials. Several alloys in the composition range CeFe4-xCoxSb12 or LaFe4-xCoxSb12 (0 < x < 4) have large values of ZT.
TL;DR: In this paper, the electrical resistivity, ρ, thermoelectric power, α, and thermal conductivity, κ, of the skutterudite material IrSb3 in a temperature range from 300 down to 4 K were measured.
Abstract: We have measured the electrical resistivity, ρ, thermoelectric power, α, and thermal conductivity, κ, of the skutterudite material IrSb3 in a temperature range from 300 down to 4 K. It is found that the electrical resistivity and thermopower decrease monotonically as the temperature is reduced to 50–60 K. Below approximately 60 K the resistivity rises in a semiconducting manner. It appears the thermopower exhibits a large phonon drag peak at around 20 K and then falls towards zero. The thermal conductivity increases rapidly as the temperature is decreased with a maximum at around 20 K, corresponding to the peak in the thermopower. We will discuss these results and compare them to higher temperature data from G. A. Slack and V. G. Tsoukala [(IrSb3) J. Appl. Phys. 76, 1635 (1994)]. We have also measured some of the so‐called ‘‘filled skutterudites,’’ Ir4LaGe3Sb9, Ir4NdGe3Sb9 and Ir4SaGe3Sb9. The thermoelectric properties of these materials are considerably different than those of the unfilled sample. The thermopower is considerably lower and the resistivity is a factor of 2–4 times higher than the unfilled sample at room temperature. The thermal conductivity is markedly reduced by the filling, as much as a factor of 20 reduction for some of the systems.
TL;DR: Ru(05,Pd(05)Sb3 has a cubic lattice, space group Im3 (T(sup 5, sub h)), with a = 9298 A and decomposes at about 920 K as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: A new skutterudite phase Ru(05)Pd(05)Sb3 was prepared This new phase adds to a large number of already known materials with the skutterudite structure which have shown good potential for thermoelectric applications Single phase, polycrystalline samples were prepared and characterized by x-ray analysis, electron probe microanalysis, density, sound velocity, thermal-expansion coefficient, and differential thermal analysis measurements Ru(05)Pd(05)Sb3 has a cubic lattice, space group Im3 (T(sup 5, sub h)), with a = 9298 A and decomposes at about 920 K The Seebeck coefficient, the electrical resistivity, the Hall effect, and the thermal conductivity were measured on hot-pressed samples over a wide range of temperatures Preliminary results show that Ru(05)Pd(05)Sb3 behaves as a heavily doped semiconductor with an estimated band gap of about 06 eV The lattice thermal conductivity of Ru(05)Pd(05)Sb3 is substantially lower than that of the binary isostructural compounds CoSb3 and IrSb3 The unusually low thermal conductivity might be explained by additional hole and charge transfer phonon scattering in this material The potential of this material for thermoelectric applications is discussed
TL;DR: Measurements of the thermoelectric power (TEP) and thermal conductivity on a wide variety of granular and multilayer GMR systems find the strong magnetic field dependences of both the TEP and the Thermal conductivity are found to be closely related to the magnetoresistance.
Abstract: The giant magnetoresistance (GMR) effect in granular and multilayer thin films has been widely investigated because of possible device applications. Despite this intensive effort, the underlying mechanisms responsible for the effect have not been identified. We present measurements of the thermoelectric power (TEP) and thermal conductivity on a wide variety of granular and multilayer GMR systems. The strong magnetic field dependences of both the TEP and the thermal conductivity are found to be closely related to the magnetoresistance. The TEP measurements require that the high density of states in the ferromagnetic materials play a major role in the GMR effect. The thermal conductivity measurements indicate that the scattering mechanisms in granular samples are elastic while multilayer samples have a significant inelastic, spin-flip component.
TL;DR: In this article, the normal state properties of high temperature oxide superconductors have been studied for the search for the pairing mechanism, and a scaling property of the thermoelectric power has been reported.
Abstract: We review some of the systematic patterns in the normal state properties of high temperature oxide superconductors which may help in the search for the pairing mechanism. A recent analysis of thermodynamic properties, namely the conduction electron entropy determined from high resolution specific heat data and the static magnetic susceptibility, both measured for a wide range of closely spaced compositions, yields much information about the effects of hole doping and zinc substitution on the low energy electronic excitations in these compounds. We attempt to correlate this information with the systematic changes observed in the electrical resistivity, Hall coefficient and most notably the thermoelectric power, for which a new scaling property is reported. (orig.).
TL;DR: In this paper, the electrical resistivity and thermopower of pure liquid silicon and pure liquid germanium have been measured using the Ziman formalism, with a recent pseudopotential and an experimental structure factor.
Abstract: The electrical resistivity and thermopower S of pure liquid silicon and pure liquid germanium have been carefully measured. For silicon, a new containment material was used, namely high-density graphite. This graphite has a low thermopower ( at ) a high resistivity ( at ), and little or no reaction with Si, making it an ideal containment material. The results for each liquid show a metallic value of resistivity, a small but positive temperature coefficient of the resistivity and a small thermopower. In particular, for liquid Si, , and and, for liquid Ge, , and ; all values are for the respective melting temperatures of Si and Ge. We also report a calculation of the resistivity of each liquid, using the Ziman formalism, with a recent pseudopotential and an experimental structure factor. Both our experimental and our calculated results are compared with other work.
TL;DR: A general framework for describing thermoelectric effects in phase-coherent superconducting structures is developed and it is predicted that giant oscillations of the thermal conductance can occur, even when oscillations in the electrical conductance are negligibly small.
Abstract: We develop a general framework for describing thermoelectric effects in phase-coherent superconducting structures. Formulas for the electrical conductance, thermal conductance, thermopower, and Peltier coefficient are obtained and their various symmetries discussed. Numerical results for both dirty and clean Andreev interferometers are presented. We predict that giant oscillations of the thermal conductance can occur, even when oscillations in the electrical conductance are negligibly small. Results for clean, two-dimensional systems with a single superconducting inclusion are also presented, which show that normal-state oscillations arising from quasiparticle boundary scattering are suppressed by the onset of superconductivity. In contrast, for a clean system with no normal-state boundary scattering, switching on superconductivity induces oscillations in off-diagonal thermoelectric coefficients. \textcopyright{} 1996 The American Physical Society.
TL;DR: In this article, the preparation of spinel-type oxides, Mn(2-X )Co2X Ni(1-X)O4 (0X1), and their electrical properties were investigated.
Abstract: Preparation of spinel-type oxides, Mn(2-X )Co2X Ni(1-X )O4 (0X1), and their electrical properties were investigated. Die-pressed oxides (25 mm diam. ×4 mm), containing metals with desired molar ratios, were heated to 1400° C, and held at that temperature for 3 h in nitrogen. The sintered specimens were quenched to 800° C and then oxidized for 95 h in air to completely convert them into spinel-type oxides. The lattice constants of the spinels decreased with increasing X. Two turning points, at X=0.5 and 0.84, were observed. Based on these results, the cation distributions were estimated. Calculation of the Seebeck coefficient proved that the carriers of the oxides with X=0 and 0.25 are electrons and those of the oxides with X=0.5 to 1 are holes. Activation energies calculated from mobility were 0.34 to 0.36 eV. The conduction was considered to be due to the small polaron hopping mechanism.
TL;DR: In this paper, temperature dependent transport properties of epitaxial BaTiO3 were measured over the temperature range of 77-300 K. Electrical resistivity and thermoelectric power were measured, and the Seebeck coefficient for La-doped BaTi3 exhibits metallike behavior, with its magnitude directly proportional to temperature.
Abstract: Measurements of the temperature dependent transport properties of epitaxial BaTiO3 are reported. Electrical resistivity and thermoelectric power were measured over the temperature range of 77–300 K. Room temperature resistivities of the as‐deposited, undoped films range from 105 to 108 Ω cm, while values as low as 55 Ω cm are obtained for the La‐doped films. The resistivity shows an activated temperature dependence with the measured activation energies ranging between 0.11 and 0.50 eV. The activation energy depends strongly upon the thin film carrier concentration. Thermoelectric power measurements indicate that the films are n‐type. The Seebeck coefficient for La‐doped BaTiO3 exhibits metallike behavior, with its magnitude directly proportional to temperature. Temperature dependent resistivity and thermopower measurements indicate that the carrier mobility is activated. A transport model is proposed whereby conduction occurs in the La‐doped films via hopping between localized states within a pseudogap fo...
TL;DR: In this article, the authors reported the figure of merit of a highly boron doped (about 10 20 atoms cm −3 ) thin-film poly-Si 70% Ge 30% layer deposited by ultra-low-pressure chemical vapour deposition (ULPCVD).
Abstract: CMOS-compatible thermopiles can be made by using the available polysilicon layer and aluminium layer as a thermocouple. SiGe would, however, offer a better performance than silicon, mostly due to its much lower thermal conductivity, while it maintains CMOS compatibility. The figure of merit of a highly boron doped (about 10 20 atoms cm −3 ) thin-film poly-Si 70% Ge 30% layer deposited by ultra-low-pressure chemical vapour deposition (ULPCVD) is reported. The figure of merit is measured with a dedicated structure: the Seebeck coefficient is ± 75 μ V K −1 , the thermal conductivity is ± 4.8 W mK −1 and the electrical resistivity is 23 μΩ m. The figure of merit is then calculated to be z ≈ 50 × 10 −6 K −1 .
TL;DR: In this paper, the magnetic properties of materials with La 2 NiO 4+δ composition have been investigated, ranging between 0 and 0.25, and their electrical conductivity, thermoelectric power, and magnetic susceptibility behaviors are reported.
TL;DR: In this article, the absolute thermopower of CePd2Si2 and CeCu2Ge2 at low temperatures and very high pressure was measured and shown to change from negative to positive values with increasing pressure.
Abstract: We report measurements of the absolute thermopower of CePd2Si2 and CeCu2Ge2 at low temperatures and very high pressure The low-temperature thermopower of both compounds changes sign from negative to positive values with increasing pressure This remarkable behaviour is discussed within the observation of a general trend for unstable-valence cerium-based compounds and alloys (namely the CeM2X2 series, where M = transition metal, X Si, Ge) and is reminiscent of the high-pressure thermopower of CeCu2Si2 and CeAl3
TL;DR: In this article, the authors homogeneously vary the oxygen content of Pr 2− x Ce x CuO 4+δ single crystals and change the superconducting transition temperature in small steps.
Abstract: Using an improved high-temperature annealing procedure we homogeneously vary the oxygen content of Pr 2− x Ce x CuO 4+δ single crystals and change the superconducting transition temperature in small steps. Minute changes of the oxygen concentration δ give rise to a strong increase of the residual resistivity but leave the Hall and the Seebeck coefficient nearly unchanged. A strong correlation of the change of the residual resistivity and the change of T c suggests that the point-defect scattering rate on oxygen interstitials or oxygen vacancies is an important parameter determining T c in the electron-doped high- T c systems.
TL;DR: In this article, the temperature-dependent thermoelectric power S of insulating and metallic Bi-2212 and Tl-22 12 samples is scaled to universal master curves.
Abstract: The temperature-dependent thermoelectric power S of insulating and metallic Bi-2212 and Tl-2212 samples are scaled to universal master curves. For insulating samples, S passes through a peak at a characteristic temperature , which decreases with increasing carrier concentration. For metallic samples a scaling parameter (= dS/dT at high temperatures) decreases with increasing carrier density. It is argued that is related to the energy needed for activation conduction whereas the change in may be due to increase in with carrier density, where n is the concentration and is the effective mass of the carriers.
26 Mar 1996
TL;DR: A survey of the principal studies performed on Bi-Sb thermoelectric materials over the last forty years is given in this paper, where the results obtained on bulk materials, in single crystalline and polycrystalline forms, and thin films are discussed.
Abstract: This paper is devoted to a survey of the principal studies performed on Bi-Sb thermoelectric materials over the last forty years. Bi-Sb alloys are still the best n-type materials for refrigeration at low temperatures nowadays. After a brief introduction of their physical characteristics (crystallography and band structure), the elaboration, characterization and transport properties (thermoelectric and galvanomagnetic) of the Bi-Sb alloys will be presented. The results obtained on bulk materials, in single crystalline and polycrystalline forms, and thin films will be discussed.