The thermoelectric performance of ZrNiSn/ZrO2 composites

The effects of ZrO2 nano particles addition to the ZrNiSn matrix on the thermoelectric properties were investigated. Thermal conductivity, Seebeck coefficient and electrical resistivity were measured. The X-ray powder diffraction, EPMA and FESEM were adopted for the microstructure characterization of the composites. The transport properties are mainly discussed with regard to the microstructures. The lattice contribution to thermal conductivity can be reduced by addition of small amount of ZrO2 nano particles, which serve as additional phonon-scattering centers. The dimensionless figure of merit ZT of ZrNiSn half-Heusler thermoelectric material was improved by introducing ZrO2 nano particles.