Synergistically Optimized Thermoelectric and Mechanical Properties of Mg_3.2Bi_1.5Sb_0.5-SiC Composites

Motivated by the surging demand for low-temperature waste heat harvesting, materials with both prominent thermoelectric and good mechanical properties are preferred in practical applications. In this present work, the composite exploration of Te-doped Mg_3.2Bi_1.5Sb_0.5-x vol % nanosized SiC (x = 0, 0.05, 0.1, 0.2, and 0.5) was carried out, where nanosized SiC is physically dispersed in the matrix in the form of a second phase. SiC second phase compositing further optimized the matrix carrier concentration, resulting in a higher power factor in the service temperature range (the highest value from 28.9 to 31.7 μW cm^-1 K^-2), and the (ZT)_ave from 0.91 to 0.96 compared with the matrix sample. In addition, the SiC second phase effectively enhanced the mechanical properties of composite materials, including flexural strength, microhardness, and modulus. Because of the simultaneous optimization of thermoelectric and mechanical properties, the overall performance of Te-doped Mg_3.2Bi_1.5Sb_0.5-0.05 vol % SiC composite is leveraged to meet special requirements of power generation. It is expected that the addition of SiC should be broadly applicable to address the physical performance in other thermoelectric systems.