Effect of Cu electroless plating on thermoelectric properties of n-type Bi2Te2.4Se0.6 alloy

Thermoelectric material is a new functional material that can convert thermal energy into electrical energy, and it has been widely concerned because it can be used as alternative energy in many applications. Bi2Te2.4Se0.6 nanopowders were prepared by electroless plating, and then sintered into bulk by spark plasma sintering. After electroless plating, the thermal conductivity of n-type Bi2Te2.4Se0.6/Cu thermoelectric materials has been significantly reduced due to decreased electronic thermal conductivity and phonon scattering caused by large grain boundaries and defects, of which 0.15 wt%Cu/Bi2Te2.4Se0.6 has the lowest lattice thermal conductivity and reached 0.43 W m−1 k−1. The results show that the average zT value of all components has been enhanced to a certain extent, of which the average zT value of 0.15 wt%Cu/Bi2Te2.4Se0.6 reached 0.89, and the peak zT reached 0.98 at 401 K.