Fast preparation and thermoelectric properties of Zn4Sb3 by HPHT

In this paper, crack-free bulk thermoelectric material Zn4Sb3 was prepared rapidly by high pressure and high temperature (HPHT) method. Near a single-phase Zn4Sb3 specimen was obtained using nominal stoichiometric powder mixtures, which were indexed by powder X-ray diffraction. The temperature-dependent thermoelectric properties including the Seebeck coefficient and electrical resistivity were studied. The maximum power factor of Zn4Sb3 specimen prepared by HPHT reaches 10.8 μW/(cmK2) at 637 K, which is comparable to the published data. The results show that the HPHT offers potential processing route to produce the thermoelectric material Zn4Sb3 quickly and effectively.