A novel method for thermoelectric materials fabrication using a reduction of oxide precursors in hydrogen was reported. On the example of Bi-Sb, Bi-Sb-Te and Te-Ag-Ge-Sb compounds it was shown that this simple and easy method is suitable for fabrication of two-, three- and even multicomponent thermoelectric materials. It allows controlling a composition, microstructure and even type a of electrical charge carriers. As a result...

A novel method of thermoelectric materials fabrication has been developed. Oxide reagents have been melted at high temperature in air, quenched, milled to powder and reduced in hydrogen to form Bi–Te alloys. Structural and thermoelectric properties of samples have been investigated depending on initial composition and temperature of reduction process. Sample 25Bi2O3–75TeO2 reduced at 340 °C for 10 h has been found to be a p-type...

The BieSbeTe alloys with different Bi/Sb/Te ratio were fabricated by an innovative method. For that purpose the oxide reagents were melted at high temperature, then quenched to form pellets, milled to a powder and finally reduced in hydrogen at various temperatures. Complex structures consisting of connected thin layers forming a continuous path between nano- and micrometer size grains have been obtained. The electrical conductivity,...

The Ge0.77Ag0.1Sb0.13Te1alloy was fabricated by a novel two step route. For that purpose firstly the oxide reagents were melted at high temperature and quenched into pellets. After that pellets were milled to the powder and then reduced in hydrogen at various temperatures and for various periods of time. Energy dispersive X-ray analysis indicated the possibility of successful fabrication of stoichiometric thermoelectric materials...

Nickel-doped copper selenide—Cu2-xNixSe (x = 0; 0.01; 0.02; 0.03)—materials with high thermoelectric properties were synthesised through reduction of reagents in hydrogen. The impact of the nickel content on both the microstructure and thermoelectric properties was examined. The nickel-doped samples’ microstructure differed significantly from pristine copper selenide. Besides Cu2Se, copper precipitations were present in the materials....