Power factor enhancement in Pr-substituted alloys prepared by high-pressure sintering

Bi85Sb15−xPrx ( x = 0 , 1 , 2 , 3 ) alloys with partial substitution of Pr for Sb were synthesized by mechanical alloying followed by high-pressure sintering. The crystal structure was characterized by X-ray diffraction. The electrical conductivity and Seebeck coefficient were measured in the temperature range of 80–300 K. The results show that the electrical conductivity and Seebeck coefficient of Pr-substituted samples are both larger than those of the reference sample, Bi85Sb15, in the whole measurement temperature range. The power factor of Bi85Sb13Pr2 reaches a maximum value of 3.83×10−3 W K−2 m−1 at 235 K, which is about four times larger than that of the reference sample, Bi85Sb15, at the same temperature.