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Project

Combining thermodynamic modelling and 3D laser printing for Bi2Te3-based quaternary Bi-Sb-Te-Se thermoelectric materials

Bi2Te3-based solid solutions possess the best thermoelectric (TE) performance near room temperature resulting in being extensively used in the commercial TE applications. It has been demonstrated that Bi2Te3-based compounds (binary Bi2Te3 and certain ternary Bi2 -xSbxTe3 and Bi2Te3-ySey) can be deposited and patterned using 3D laser printing process.  3D laser printing permits a materialefficient one-step process that enables the scalable fabrication of complex three-dimensional structures, reducing the device manufacturing and assembly time, and minimizing its cost. The key element in the laser melting-based technique of TE materials manufacturing is the fabrication of TE legs with good control over their chemical composition, phase and microstructure. It is also important to find the relationship between those characteristics and the TE performance. The TE performance of Bi2Te3-based materials can be improved by tuning the carrier transport via doping with the VVI group elements Sb and Se. In this project, a systematic studies on either thermodynamics or printing process for Bi-Sb-Te-Se quaternary system will be conducted, which could be dedicated to the development of a methodology that allows a good connection among phases, chemical compositions, 3D laser printing process parameters and TE properties. Such knowledge will certainly facilitate the design of Bi2Te3-based TE modules with high ZT, while enabling their high-throughput and low-cost fabrication.  
GENERAL
 

Date:1 Nov 2020 →  30 Sep 2022
Keywords:Thermodynamic modeling, CALPHAD technique, 3D laser printing, Bi-Sb-Te-Se quaternary, TE materials
Disciplines:Computational materials science, Materials processing