Study on improving comprehensive property of Te-based thermoelectric joint

Abstract Elemental Te exhibits great future application for promising thermoelectric performance, the critical factor to extensively application is manufacturing thermoelectric joint with excellent comprehensive performance, where both material and interface optimization are necessary. The zT of Sb-doped Te was enhanced to 0.95 at 600 K for thermoelectric material Te0.985Sb0.015. Then, Ni was introduced into the interface of Te-based thermoelectric joint as a barrier layer to restrain the excessive reaction and diffusion of interface elements. The Te0.985Sb0.015/Ni/Al exhibited homogeneous interfacial microstructure and lower contact resistance