The improvement of a specific material—bismuth telluride

Abstract

This chapter outlines the way in which the properties of the most important group of thermoelectric materials, those based on bismuth telluride, have improved with time. The properties of pure bismuth telluride are presented with attention being drawn to the anisotropy of the transport parameters. Diffusion in bismuth telluride associated with its layered structure is discussed. The improved properties of solid solutions are described. It is shown how the production of bismuth telluride alloys has developed from the laboratory to the production line. The modifications to the composition, which must be made for the material to be used in generators as well as refrigerators, are described.