Thermoelectric Performance of Micro/Nano-Structured Bismuth-Antimony-Telluride Bulk from Low Cost Mechanical Alloying

In this work, micro/nano-structured Bi0.5Sb1.5Te3 bulk thermoelectric materials were synthesized by mechanical alloying from elemental shots of Bi, Sb, and Te. Cold pressing and subsequent heat treatments with hydrogen reduction were used to form bulk solid samples with good thermoelectric properties in the temperature range around 75°C to 100°C. In comparison to crystal growth methods and chemical solution synthesis, the reported technique can be readily implemented for mass production with relatively low cost.