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Optimization of thermoelectric properties of metal‐oxide‐based polymer composites
Author(s) -
Plochmann Bastian,
Lang Steffen,
Rüger Reinhold,
Moos Ralf
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
journal of applied polymer science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.575
H-Index - 166
eISSN - 1097-4628
pISSN - 0021-8995
DOI - 10.1002/app.40038
Subject(s) - materials science , thermoelectric effect , composite material , seebeck coefficient , thermoelectric generator , thermoelectric materials , polymer , coating , composite number , porosity , oxide , thermal conductivity , metallurgy , physics , thermodynamics
Thermoelectric modules can be used for thermal energy harvesting. Common rigid thermoelectric stacks usually contain heavy metal alloys such as Bi 2 Te 3 . In order to substitute conventional materials and to reduce manufacturing costs, nontoxic, inexpensive and abundant materials using low‐cost processes are first choice. This study deals with polymer composites consisting of a polysiloxane matrix filled with thermoelectric Sn 0.85 Sb 0.15 O 2 particles in micrometer scale. Thin composite sheets have been prepared by doctor blade technique and the Seebeck coefficient, the electrical and thermal conductivity, and the porosity were measured. Platelet‐type particles, consisting of Sn 0.85 Sb 0.15 O 2 ‐coated insulating mica substrate and globular Sn 0.85 Sb 0.15 O 2 particles have been varied in size, coating thickness and were mixed with each other in different ratios. The filler content was varied in order to maximize the figure of merit, ZT , to 1.9 × 10 −5 ± 4 × 10 −6 . Owing to their low raw material costs and the high degree of design freedom of polymer composites, one may use these materials in thermoelectric generators for remote low‐power demanding applications. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2014 , 131 , 40038.