The Effect of Interfacial Reaction in Metal Electrode on Thermoelectric Properties for Thin Film Thermoelectric Module(1/3)

The researches on thermoelectric materials mainly focuses on the thermoelectric properties of the materials. There is a decrease of thermoelectric efficiency when the materials are packaged to modules. The differences in the efficiency are caused by the junctions or the interfaces between the thermoelectric materials, the electrodes and even the diffusion barriers. This proposal will study the thermoelectric efficiency of the modules from the materials perspective. In the first year, low temperature Bi2Te3 and its junctions with the electrodes and the diffusion barriers will be investigated in detail. The interdiffusion and the growth of intermetallic compound will be more prominent when the working temperature is raised. In the second and the third year, the junctions between mid-temperature PbTe and CoSb3 will be studied, respectively. The results of this project can provide detail understanding of materials selection for the modules. The knowledge can benefit both the academic and industrial society to further improve the thermoelectric efficiency.