Microstructure and Thermoelectric Properties of (Bi0.48Sb1.52)Te3 Thick Films Prepared with Tape Casting Method

Abstract

This paper reports the fabrication and characterization of (Bi0.48Sb1.52)Te3 thick films using a tape casting process on glass substrates. A slurry of thermoelectric (Bi0.48Sb1.52)Te3 was developed and cured thick films were annealed in a vacuum chamber at 500–600 °C. The microstructure of these films was analyzed, and the Seebeck coefficient and electric conductivity were tested. It was found that the subsequent annealing process must be carefully designed to achieve good thermoelectric properties of these samples. Conductive films were obtained after annealing and led to acceptable thermoelectric performance. While the properties of these initial materials are not at the level of bulk materials, this work demonstrates that the low-cost tape casting technology is promising for fabricating thermoelectric modules for energy conversion.