Mechanical alloying lead telluride based materials: synthesis and microstructure studies

Lead telluride and its alloys are well established materials for thermoelectric power generation in the medium range of temperature. They are obtained by varied solidification methods or powder metallurgy. Mechanical alloying is a new way for obtaining such thermoelectric materials. By this method, it is possible to prepare at low temperature, powders with good chemical homogeneity. In this study, we have synthesised powders of lead telluride (p-type and n-type) by mechanical alloying, and compared them with conventional synthesised powders concerning microstructural and electrical properties.