Preparation and thermoelectric properties of Co/sub x/Fe/sub y/Ni/sub 2/Sb/sub 3/ (x+y+z=1, x=0 to 1, y=z) sintered samples

Abstract

Eleven sintered samples of the CoxFeyNizSb3 (x+y+z=1, x=0 to 1, y=z) compounds have been successfully prepared using hot-pressing technique and the thermoelectric properties of the samples have been measured between 300 and 700 K. The purities and densities for the sintered samples exceed 93 mass% and 80 % of XRD density, respectively. The thermopower of the compounds is in the range of -150 to 200 µW/K and shifts from p-type to n-type with increasing the value of y+z. The electrical conductivity for the samples shows a semiconductor like behavior. The power factors for the present samples show several µW/K 2 cm. The possibility for improvement in the thermoelectric performance will be dicussed by optimizing the Fe/Ni ratio in the compounds.