Tachgiss Jampreecha, Anuchit Sawangprom, Narong Chanlek, Supree Pinitsoontorn, Worawat Meevasana, Santi Maensiri
We report a thermoelectric study of beta-phase zinc antimony alloy (β–Zn4Sb3) powders, which were synthesized using a solid-state reaction and argon calcination, with optimal conditions at 12 at.% excess Zn. X-ray diffraction confirmed highpurity β–Zn4Sb3with minimal secondary phases. Furthermore, x-ray absorption near-edge spectroscopy analysis indicated that the synthesized β–Zn4Sb3powders were fully alloyed. The sintered pellets showed notable thermoelectric properties: a Seebeck coefficient of 255 μV/°C, an electrical conductivity of 8 × 105Ω⁻1m⁻1at 320°C, power factor of approximately 0.56 mW/m°C2between 220°C and 240°C, thermal conductivity of approximately 0.74 W/m°C between 60°C and 150°C then a decrease to 0.33 W/m°C between 220 and 400°C, the maximum figure-of-merit (ZT) of 1.1 at approximately 300°C. Monolithic thermoelectric generator (TEG) modules were created by stacking β–Zn4Sb3pellets with insulating ZnO pellets, resulting in a 2 cm × 1 cm × 1 cm module that exhibited an open-circuit voltage of 73.1 mV and a maximum power output of 550 μW at a hot-side operating temperature of 300°C with a 100°C gradient. The TEG modules made from beta-phase zinc antimony alloy present a promising solution for industrial waste heat applications. However, there are some gaps in the analysis and presentation of the results. © The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society 2025.
School of Physics, Institute of Science, Suranaree University of Technology, Nakhon Ratchasima, 30000, Thailand; SUT Center of Excellence on Advanced Functional Materials, Suranaree University of Technology, Nakhon Ratchasima, 30000, Thailand; Synchrotron Light Research Institute (Public Organization), Nakhon Ratchasima, 30000, Thailand; Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Institute of Nanomaterials Research and Innovation for Energy (IN– RIE), Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, 40002, Thailand; Department of Physics, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Negeri Malang, Jl. Semarang 5, Malang, 65145, Indonesia
