• Proceedings of the Korean Powder Metallurgy Institute Conference
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• 2006.09a
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• pp.430-431
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• 2006

Thermoelectric thick film was fabricated by screen printing process with using p-type Bi-Te-Sb powders. The powder was synthesized by melting, milling and sintering process and hydrogen reduced to enhance the thermoelectric property. The thick film of Bi-Te-Sb powder was fabricated by screen printing method and baked at the optimized conditions. The thermal conductivity, the electrical resistivity and Seeback coefficient of thick film were measured and the thermoelectric performance was analyzed in terms of film characteristics and its microstructure. Finally, the feasibility of thermoelectric thick film into micro cooling device on CPU chip was discussed in this study.

• Journal of Powder Materials
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.336-341
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• 2010

The present study focused on the synthesis of Bi-Sb-Te-based thermoelectric powder by an oxidereduction process. The phase structure, particle size of the synthesized powders were analyzed using XRD and SEM. The synthesized powder was sintered by the spark plasma sintering method. The thermoelectric property of the sintered body was evaluated by measuring the Seebeck coefficient and specific electric resistivity. The $Bi_{0.5}Sb_{1.5}Te_3$ powder had been synthesized by a combination of mechanical milling, calcination and reduction processes using mixture of $Bi_2O_3$, $Sb_2O_3$ and $TeO_2$ powders. The sintered body of the $Bi_{0.5}Sb_{1.5}Te_3$ powder synthesized by an oxide-reduction process showed p-type thermoelectric characteristics, even though it had lower thermoelectric properties than the sintered body of the $Bi_{0.5}Sb_{1.5}Te_3$ thermoelectric powder synthesized by the conventional melting-crushing method.

• Journal of Powder Materials
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• v.15 no.5
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• pp.352-358
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• 2008

The present study focused on the synthesis of a bismuth-antimony-tellurium-based thermoelectric nanopowders using plasma arc discharge process. The chemical composition, phase structure, particle size of the synthesized powders under various synthesis conditions were analyzed using XRF, XRD and SEM. The powders as synthesized were sintered by the plasma activated sintering. The thermoelectric properties of sintered body were analyzed by measuring Seebeck coefficient, specific electric resistivity and thermal conductivity. The chemical composition of the synthesized Bi-Sb-Te-based powders approached that of the raw material with an increasing DC current of the are plasma. The synthesized Bi-Sb-Te-based powder consist of a mixed phase structure of the $Bi_{0.5}Sb_{1.5}Te_{3}$, $Bi_{2}Te_{3}$ and $Sb_{2}Te_{3}$ phases. This powder has homogeneous mixing state of two different particles in an average particle size; about 100nm and about 500nm. The figure of merit of the sintered body of the synthesized 18.75 wt.%Bi-24.68 wt.%Sb-56.57 wt.%Te nanopowder showed higher value than one of the sintered body of the mechanically milled 12.64 wt.%Bi-29.47 wt.%Sb-57.89 wt.%Te powder.

• Journal of Powder Materials
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• v.12 no.6 s.53
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• pp.387-392
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• 2005

The p-type semiconductor $Bi_2Te_3-Sb_2Te_3$ thermoelectric materials were fabricated by melting, milling and sintering process and their thermoelectric properties were characterized. The compound materials were ball-milled with milling time and the powders were sintered by spark plasma sintering process. The ball milled powders had equiaxial shape and approedmately $1\~3{\mu}m$ in size. The figure of meritz of sintered thermoelectric materials decreased with milling time because of lowered electrical resistivity. The thermoelectric properties of $Bi_2Te_3-Sb_2Te_3$ materials have been discussed in terms of electrical property with ball mill process.

• Proceedings of the Korean Powder Metallurgy Institute Conference
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• 2006.09a
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• pp.684-685
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• 2006

In the present study, the powder metallurgical fabrication of $Bi_{0.4}Te_3Sb_{1.6}$ thermoelectric materials has been studied with specific interest to control the microstructure by the mechanical grinding process. The $Bi_{0.4}Te_3Sb_{1.6}$ thermoelectric powders with a various particle size distribution were prepared by the combination of the mechanical milling and blending processes. The specific electric resistivity of the $Bi_{0.4}Te_3Sb_{1.6}$ sintered bodies mainly depended on the orientation of the crystal structure rather than the particle size of the raw powders.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.34 no.7
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• pp.2167-2170
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• 2013

A low-cost and simple recycling process of waste thermoelectric modules has been investigated using chemical reduction methods. The recycling is separated by two processes, such as dissolving and reduction. When the waste thermoelectric chips are immersed into a high concentration of $HNO_3$ aqueous solution at $100^{\circ}C$, oxide powders, e.g., $TeO_2$ and $Sb_2O_3$, are precipitated in the $Bi^{3+}$ and $HTeO{_2}^+$ ions contained solution. By employing a reduction process with the ions contained solutions, $Bi_2Te_3$ nanoparticles are successfully synthesized. Due to high reduction potential of $HTeO{_2}^+$ to Te, Te elements are initially formed and subsequently $Bi_2Te_3$ nanoparticles are formed. The average particle size of $Bi_2Te_3$ was calculated to be 25 nm with homogeneous size distribution. On the other hand, when the precipitated powders reduced by hydrazine, $Sb_2O_3$ and Te nanoparticles are synthesized because of higher reduction potentials of $TeO_2$ to Te. After the washing step, the $Sb_2O_3$ are clearly removed, results in Te nanoparticles.

• Proceedings of the Korean Powder Metallurgy Institute Conference
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• 2006.09b
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• pp.1223-1224
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• 2006

The p-type $(Bi_{0.2}Sb_{0.8})_2Te_3/(Pb_{0.7}Sn_{0.3})$Te functional gradient material (FGM) was fabricated by hot-pressing the mechanically alloyed $(Bi_{0.2}Sb_{0.8})_2Te_3$ and the 0.5 at% $Na_2Te-doped$ $(Pb_{0.7}Sn_{0.3})Te$ powders. Also, the n-type $Bi_2(Te_{0.9}Se_{0.1})_3/PbTe$ FGM was processed by hot-pressing the mechanically alloyed $Bi_2(Te_{0.9}Se_{0.1})_3$ and the 0.3 wt% Bi-doped PbTe powders. With ${\Delta}T$ larger than $300^{\circ}C$, the p-type $(Bi_{0.2}Sb_{0.8})_2Te_3/(Pb_{0.7}Sn_{0.3})Te$ FGM exhibited larger thermoelectric output power than those of the $(Bi_{0.2}Sb_{0.8})_2Te_3$ and the 0.5 at% $Na_2Te-doped$ $(Pb_{0.7}Sn_{0.3})Te$ alloys. For the n-type $Bi_2(Te_{0.9}Se_{0.1})_3/PbTe$ FGM, the thermoelectric output power superior to those of the $Bi_2(Te_{0.9}Se_{0.1})_3$ and the 0.3 wt% Bi-doped PbTe was predicted at ${\Delta}T$ larger than $300^{\circ}C$.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.22 no.6
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• pp.280-284
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• 2012

Bismuth antimony telluride (BiSbTe) thermoelectric materials were successfully prepared by a spark plasma sintering process. Crystalline BiSbTe ingots were crushed into small pieces and then attrition milled into fine powders of about 300 nm ~ 2${\mu}m$ size under argon gas. Spark plasma sintering was applied on the BiSbTe powders at 240, 320, and $380^{\circ}C$, respectively, under a pressure of 40 MPa in vacuum. The heating rate was $50^{\circ}C$/min and the holding time at the sintering temperature was 10 min. At all sintering temperatures, high density bulk BiSbTe was successfully obtained. The XRD patterns verify that all samples were well matched with the $Bi_{0.5}Sb_{1.5}Te_{3}$. Seebeck coefficient (S), electric conductivity (${\sigma}$) and thermal conductivity (k) were evaluated in a temperature range of $25{\sim}300^{\circ}C$. The thermoelectric properties of BiSbTe were evaluated by the thermoelectric figure of merit, ZT (ZT = $S^2{\sigma}T$/k). The grain size and electric conductivity of sintered BiSbTe increased as the sintering temperature increased but the thermal conductivity was similar at all sintering temperatures. Grain growth reduced the carrier concentration, because grain growth reduced the grain boundaries, which serve as acceptors. Meanwhile, the carrier mobility was greatly increased and the electric conductivity was also improved. Consequentially, the grains grew with increasing sintering temperature and the figure of merit was improved.

• Journal of Powder Materials
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.120-125
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• 2016

P-type ternary $Bi_{0.5}Sb_{1.5}Te_3$ alloys are fabricated via mechanical alloying (MA) and spark plasma sintering (SPS). Different ball sizes are used in the MA process, and their effect on the microstructure; hardness, and thermoelectric properties of the p-type BiSbTe alloys are investigated. The phases of milled powders and bulks are identified using an X-ray diffraction technique. The morphology of milled powders and fracture surface of compacted samples are examined using scanning electron microscopy. The morphology, phase, and grain structures of the samples are not altered by the use of different ball sizes in the MA process. Measurements of the thermoelectric (TE) transport properties including the electrical conductivity, Seebeck coefficient, and power factor are measured at temperatures of 300-400 K for samples treated by SPS. The TE properties do not depend on the ball size used in the MA process.

• Proceedings of the Materials Research Society of Korea Conference
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• 2005.05a
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• pp.35-35
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• 2005