@article{950f707c027b44b0981a3750fe06ab23,
title = "Influence of Ni nanoparticle addition and spark plasma sintering on the TiNiSn-Ni system: Structure, microstructure, and thermoelectric properties",
abstract = "The electronic and thermal properties of thermoelectric materials are highly dependent on their microstructure and therefore on the preparation conditions, including the initial synthesis and, if applicable, densification of the obtained powders. Introduction of secondary phases on the nano- and/or microscale is widely used to improve the thermoelectric figure of merit by reduction of the thermal conductivity. In order to understand the effect of the preparation technique on structure and properties, we have studied the thermoelectric properties of the well-known half-Heusler TiNiSn with addition of a small amount of nickel nanoparticles. The different parameters are the initial synthesis (levitation melting and microwave heating), the amount of nickel nanoparticles added and the exact pressing profile using spark plasma sintering. The resulting materials have been characterized by synchrotron X-ray diffraction and microprobe measurements and their thermoelectric properties are investigated. We found the lowest (lattice) thermal conductivity in samples with full-Heusler TiNi2Sn and Ni3Sn4 as secondary phases.",
keywords = "Half-Heusler TiNiSn, Microstructure, Ni nanoparticles, Spark plasma sintering, Thermoelectrics",
author = "Birkel, {Christina S.} and Douglas, {Jason E.} and Lettiere, {Bethany R.} and Gareth Seward and Yichi Zhang and Pollock, {Tresa M.} and Ram Seshadri and Stucky, {Galen D.}",
note = "Funding Information: This work was supported by NSF DMR 1121053. The authors thank Prof. Carlos Levi for useful discussions. C.S.B. is a recipient of the Feodor Lynen Research Fellowship supported by the Alexander von Humboldt foundation . J.E.D. is supported by a fellowship from the ConvEne IGERT Program ( NSF-DGE 0801627 ). B.R.L. is supported by an internship from the RISE Program ( NSF DMR 1121053 ). T.M.P. and R.S. are supported by the MRSEC Program ( NSF DMR 1121053 ). G.D.S. acknowledges support from the Center for Energy Efficient Materials (CEEM), an Energy Frontier Research Center funded by the U.S. Department of Energy , Office of Basic Energy Sciences under Award Number DESC0001009 . Use of shared experimental facilities of the Materials Research Laboratory: an NSF MRSEC, supported by NSF DMR 1121053 is gratefully acknowledged. The MRL is a member of the NSF-supported Materials Research Facilities Network ( www.mrfn.org ). Use of the Advanced Photon Source at Argonne National Laboratory was supported by the U. S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, under Contract No. DE-AC02-06CH11357.",
year = "2013",
doi = "10.1016/j.solidstatesciences.2013.09.005",
language = "English (US)",
volume = "26",
pages = "16--22",
journal = "Solid State Sciences",
issn = "1293-2558",
publisher = "Elsevier Masson SAS",
}