Abstract
In this work, thermoelectric properties of the nanocomposite materials produced via ball milling followed by spark plasma sintering from In0.2Yb0.2Co4Sb12 double filled skutterudite (SKT) with silicon and tungsten carbide inclusions are investigated. The nanocomposites with low volume ratios of beta-SiC and '-WC have a significantly increased power factor, while the lattice thermal conductivity is lowered only for beta-SiC composites. The power factor enhancement in '-WC/SKT composite compensates the increase of its thermal conductivity, and as a consequence, the maximum value of the figure of merit, 0.97, is attained for 0.33 v% 'WC at 450 degrees C, with 15% higher than that of the simple skutterudite sample. (c) 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
NSTL
Elsevier