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Laser additive manufacturing of powdered bismuth telluride

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 November 2018

Haidong Zhang Open the ORCID record for Haidong Zhang [Opens in a new window] ,
Dean Hobbis ,
George S. Nolas  and
Saniya LeBlanc
Haidong Zhang*
Affiliation:
Department of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering, The George Washington University, Washington, District of Columbia 20052, USA
Dean Hobbis
Affiliation:
Department of Physics, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida 33620, USA
George S. Nolas
Affiliation:
Department of Physics, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida 33620, USA
Saniya LeBlanc*
Affiliation:
Department of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering, The George Washington University, Washington, District of Columbia 20052, USA
*
a)Address all correspondence to these authors. e-mail: haidongzhang@gmail.com
b)e-mail: sleblanc@gwu.edu
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Abstract

Traditional manufacturing methods restrict the expansion of thermoelectric technology. Here, we demonstrate a new manufacturing approach for thermoelectric materials. Selective laser melting, an additive manufacturing technique, is performed on loose thermoelectric powders for the first time. Layer-by-layer construction is realized with bismuth telluride, Bi2Te3, and an 88% relative density was achieved. Scanning electron microscopy results suggest good fusion between each layer although multiple pores exist within the melted region. X-ray diffraction results confirm that the Bi2Te3 crystal structure is preserved after laser melting. Temperature-dependent absolute Seebeck coefficient, electrical conductivity, specific heat, thermal diffusivity, thermal conductivity, and dimensionless thermoelectric figure of merit ZT are characterized up to 500 °C, and the bulk thermoelectric material produced by this technique has comparable thermoelectric and electrical properties to those fabricated from traditional methods. The method shown here may be applicable to other thermoelectric materials and offers a novel manufacturing approach for thermoelectric devices.

Keywords

thermoelectriclaserpowder processing
Type
Invited Paper
Information
Journal of Materials Research , Volume 33 , Issue 23 , 14 December 2018 , pp. 4031 - 4039
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2018 

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