Effects of process parameters on electrical properties of n-type Bi2Te3 prepared by mechanical alloying and spark plasma sintering

n-Type Bi₂Te₃ thermoelectric materials were prepared by spark plasma sintering (SPS) using mechanically alloyed powders. Seebeck coefficient and electrical conductivity of the resultant materials were measured, with emphasis on the effects of sintering process parameters on the electrical properties. The power factor was improved from 1.5 to 1.6 mW/mK² when the SPS pressure was increased from 20 to 50 MPa at 623 K, and was further increased to 2.1 mW/mK² under 50 MPa by raising the SPS temperature from 623 to 673 K. The maximum power factor was obtained for the sample sintered under optimized SPS process parameters, in which the sintering temperature and the sintering pressure are 673 K and 50 MPa, respectively.     

On the controversial formation of silver diboride: Processing of Ag + 2B powders by spark plasma sintering

Following recent theoretical studies based on electronic structure calculations conducted on Ag- and Au-borides which estimated their superconducting behaviour at elevated transition temperatures, the preparation of AgB₂ was attempted in this work by reactive Spark Plasma Sintering (SPS) from Ag and B elemental powders. It was found that, independently from the processing conditions adopted, the formation of a new phase, which corresponds to a small peak on the XRD pattern at 2θ equal to about 28°, cannot be attributed to AgB₂. In fact, it was shown that the new phase detected on sintered pellets is most likely boric acid which is formed only if the sample is left in contact with air. If SPSed samples were stored under inert (Ar) atmosphere, no additional phases other than unreacted elements were observed.     

Microstructural,phase transformation and magnetic properties of Ni-Mn-Ga alloy fabricated by spark plasma sintering

The microstructural,phase transformation and magnetic properties of Ni-Mn-Ga alloy fabricated using the spark plasma sintering method have been investigated. The results show that both the as-sintered and annealed sintered specimens exhibit typical martensitic transformation behaviours. The martensite of the sintered specimen after annealing exhibits a ferromagnetic nature. Moreover,study of the fracture surface indicates that the transgranular fracture contributes to the higher ductility of sintered Ni-Mn-Ga alloy. In addition,the transformation strain in sintered Ni-Mn-Ga alloy is studied for the first time.     

Enhanced magnetization and suppressed current leakage in BiFeO3 ceramics prepared by spark plasma sintering of sol-gel derived nanoparticles

BiFeO₃ (BFO) ceramics of different grain size have been synthesized by spark plasma sintering of sol-gel derived nanoparticles. It was found that with decreasing grain size there occurs an enhancement in magnetization and a simultaneous suppression in current leakage. According to systematic materials characterization, the enhanced magnetization is attributed to the enriched grain boundaries where the missing structural order perturbs the spin helix structure of BFO and thus generates uncompensated spins, while the reduced current leakage is ascribed to fewer conduction paths provided by the compacted grain structure.     

Consolidation of hydrogenation–disproportionation–desorption–recombination processed Nd–Fe–B magnets by spark plasma sintering

We have successfully consolidated hydrogenation–disproportionation–desorption–recombination (HDDR) processed Nd–Fe–Co–Zr–B–Ga powder by spark plasma sintering (SPS). The field compacted samples were sintered at different temperatures (T_S) from 550 to 600 °C with compressive pressure of 80 MPa for 20 min. Microstructural investigations by transmission electron microscopy indicated that the sintered specimen exhibits Nd₂Fe₁₄B grains of ~300 nm with Nd-rich grain boundary phase. The optimum magnetic properties of B_r: 1.22 T, H_c: 928 kA/m, _BH_c: 600 kA/m, (BH)_max: 210 kJ/m³ were obtained in the sample sintered at 550 °C. The strategy for further improving the coercivity and remanence is discussed based on the microstructure-property relationships.     

(Bi1-x Agx)2(Te1-ySey)3粉体的机械合金化制备及其放电等离子烧结体的热电输运特性

采用机械合金化制备了n型(Bi_1-xAg_x)₂(Te_1-ySe_y)₃合金粉体,对其进行XRD分析表明Bi,Te,Ag,Se单质粉末,经2h球磨后实现了合金化;SEM分析表明随着机械合金化时间延长粉体颗粒变得均匀、细小,颗粒尺寸在微米至亚微米数量级.采用放电等离子烧结制备了块体样品,研究了合金成分和球磨时间对热电性能的影响.结果表明材料的热电性能与掺杂元素有密切关系,Ag有利于提高功率因子和降低晶格热导率,球磨10h的(Bi_0.99Ag_0.01)₂(Te_0.96Se_0.04)₃合金粉末的烧结块体具有最大的功率因子和最低的晶格热导率,并在323K取得最高ZT值0.52. 关键词： 1-xAg_x)₂(Te_1-ySe_y)₃合金')" href="#">(Bi_1-xAg_x)₂(Te_1-ySe_y)₃合金 机械合金化 放电等离子烧结 热电性能