Investigation of the Composition and Mechanical Strength of Effective Thermoelectric Materials

A review the synthesis of thermoelectric materials (TEM) and techniques of their subsequent processing in order to obtain an optimal structure was carried out. TEM on basis of BiTeSe and BiSbTe were obtained by zone melting and extrusion, and PbTe and GeTe were obtained by hot pressing. On basis of X-ray fluorescence analysis, a correlation was established between the concentration of elements in the initial composition and in the manufactured samples. The investigation of thermoelectric parameters of TEM was carried out. The thermoelectric figure of merit in the working temperature range varies from 1.05 to 1.20. Vickers microhardness was established that for BiTeSe and BiSbTe it is from 33.5 HV to 60.2 HV. The microhardness of PbTe and GeTe is 51.7 HV and 125.7 HV, respectively. The obtained results are necessary for the development of techniques for mechanical treatment of TEM and the design of thermoelectric devices.