Chemical and Thermoelectric Properties of Hot Pressed and Spark Plasma Sintered Type-I Clathrate Ba8Cu4.8Si41.2

Abstract

Nanostructuring has been considered as an effective way to reduce the thermal conductivity and enhance the thermoelectric performance in different material systems. Here, we present the chemical and thermoelectric properties of the nanostructured bulk type-I clathrate Ba8Cu4.8Si41.2. The samples were prepared by consolidating ball-milled nanopowders either by hot pressing or by spark plasma sintering. Fine powders and high sintering temperatures are needed to reach a high bulk density and high thermoelectric performance in the sintered samples. The highest ZT of 0.3 at 870 K is achieved in the most dense sample sintered at 800°C by hot pressing. Further improvement is expected if smaller grain sizes could be stabilized.