Thermoelectric figure of merit of semimetal and semiconductor Bi1– x Sb x alloy foils

The temperature dependencies of thermal conductivity χ(Т), electrical conductivity σ(Т), and thermopower α(Т) in foils of Bi1–xSbx alloys in the semimetal and semiconductor states, in a temperature range of 4.2–300 K, were experimentally studied. Foils of Bi1–xSbx alloys were prepared by high-speed crystallization of a thin layer of the melt on the polished inner surface of a rotating copper cylinder. High crystallization rates (v = 5 × 105 m/s) enabled a uniform distribution of the components throughout the volume. The thickness of the foils was 10–30 μm with the texture 101¯2 parallel to the foil plane and the С3 axis coinciding with the normal to the foil surface. It was shown that, in the low-temperature range (T