Thermoelectric and Mechanical Properties of Environmentally Friendly Mg2Si0.3Sn0.67Bi0.03/SiC Composites.

In this work, polycrystalline n-type Mg2Si0.30Sn0.67Bi0.03 dispersed with x wt % β-SiC nanoparticles (x = 0, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, and 3.0) thermoelectric materials were fabricated by a solid-state reaction in a low-cost container, consolidated by hot-pressing. We obtained figure of merit values zT above 1.4 at 773 K along with enhanced mechanical properties by adding β-SiC into an Mg2Si0.30Sn0.67Bi0.03 matrix. Incorporation of SiC nanoparticles has thusly simultaneously increased toughness and, depending on the SiC content, thermoelectric performance. The peak figure of merit was improved from zT = 1.33 for Mg2Si0.30Sn0.67Bi0.03 to 1.45 for Mg2Si0.30Sn0.67Bi0.03 with 3 wt % at 773 K.