Anisotropic thermoelectric properties of Bi1.9Lu0.1Te2.7Se0.3 textured via spark plasma sintering

Spark plasma sintering method was applied to prepare bulk n-type Bi1.9Lu0.1Te2.7Se0.3 samples highly textured along the 001 direction parallel to the pressing direction. The texture development is confirmed by X-ray diffraction analysis and scanning electron microscopy. The grains in the textured samples form ordered lamellar structure and lamellar sheets lie in plane perpendicular to the pressing direction. The average grain size measured along the pressing direction is much less as compared to the average grain size measured in the perpendicular direction (∼50 nm against ∼400 nm). A strong anisotropy in the transport properties measured along directions parallel and perpendicular to the pressing direction within the 290 ÷ 650 K interval was found. The specific electrical resistivity increases and the thermal conductivity decreases for the parallel orientation as compared to these properties for the perpendicular orientation. The Seebeck coefficient for both orientations is almost equal. Increase of the electrical resistivity is stronger than decrease of the thermal conductivity resulting in almost three-fold enhancement of the thermoelectric figure-of-merit coefficient for the perpendicular orientation (∼0.68 against ∼0.24 at ∼420 K). The texturing effect can be attributed to (i) recovery of crystal structure anisotropy typical for the single crystal Bi2Te3-based alloys and (ii) grain boundary scattering of electrons and phonons. An onset of intrinsic conductivity observed above Td ≈ 410 K results in appearance of maxima in the temperature dependences of the specific electrical resistivity, the Seebeck coefficient and the thermoelectric figure-of-merit coefficient and minimum in the temperature dependence of the total thermal conductivity. The intrinsic conductivity is harmful for the thermoelectric efficiency enhancement since thermal excitation of the electron-hole pairs reduces the Seebeck coefficient and increases the thermal conductivity.