Abstract
Nanoparticles of PbTe are prepared via chemical reaction of the equimolar aqueous solutions of $Pb(CH_3COO)_2$ and Te at $120^{\circ}C$. The size of the obtained particles is 100 nm after calcination in a hydrogen atmosphere. Dense specimens for the thermoelectric characterization are produced by spark plasma sintering of prepared powders at $400^{\circ}C$ to $500^{\circ}C$ under 80 MPa for 5 min. The relative densities of the prepared specimens reach approximately 97% and are identified as cubic based on X-ray diffraction analyses. The thermoelectric properties are evaluated between $100^{\circ}C$ and $300^{\circ}C$ via electrical conductivity, Seebeck coefficient, and thermal conductivity. Compared with PbTe ingot, the reduction of the thermal conductivities by more than 30% is verified via phonon scattering at the grain boundaries, which thus contributes to the increase in the figure of merit.