Thermoelectric properties of p-type Te doped Bi0.5Sb1.5Te3 fabricated by powder extrusion

The p-type Te doped Bi0.5Sb1.5Te3 compounds were fabricated by powder extrusion in the temperature range 340–460 °C. The Seebeck coefficient, electrical resistivity and thermal conductivity were measured as a function of extrusion temperature to calculate the figure of merit. The highest bending strength (61.2 MPa) and the highest figure of merit (2.78×10−3 K−1) were obtained at 420 °C because of a low porosity and fine grain size. It is proposed that a noble, new powder extrusion process, for the fabrication of high-performance Bi2Te3-based thermoelectric materials, be a useful technique.