Fabrication and Evaluation of PbTe-PbSnTe Elements for Isotopic Thermoelectric Generators

This paper reports the results of efforts to fabricate PbTe thermoelectric elements with a combination of high figure of merit and good shock resistance. Two partially successful approaches to this problem were the addition of tin to PbTe and the application of hot powder pressing. Experimental evidence is presented to show that when properly applied these two methods can produce thermoelectric couples which have higher figures of merit, are more durable, and can be produced more cheaply in quantity than couples made from cast PbTe elements.