Fabrication and Thermoelectric Properties of N-Type Bi2Te3 Based Compounds by Spark Plasma Sintering

N-type Bi2Te3 based thermoelectric compound was prepared by spark plasma sintering with a temperature range of 340~460°C and powder size of ~75㎛, 76~150㎛, 151~250㎛. Thermoelectric properties of the compound were measured as a function of the sintering temperature and powder size. With increasing sintering temperature, the electrical resistivity and thermal conductivity of the compound greatly changed because of the increase in relative density. The Seebeck coefficient and electrical resistivity were varied largely with increasing powder size. Therefore, the compound sintered at 460°C, with the powder of ~75㎛, showed a figure of merit of 2.44 x 10-3/K. Also, the bending strength was 75MPa.