Performance of Bi–Te–Sb–Se Thermoelectric Material at Low Temperature

Thermoelectric materials are of iInterest for applications as heat pump and power generators. The performance of a thermoelectric material, the figure of merit, ZT, is measured. The figure of merit is iInterrelated to the thermal conductivity, electrical conductivity, and Seebeck coefficient. All of these parameters are functions of temperature. The performance of a Bi–Te–Sb–Se thermoelectric material at low temperature was studied experimentally in this work. Based on the experimental results, the relation between various parameters and temperature, and the figure of merit are reported. The conclusions indicate that this thermoelectric material is not suitable for power generation at low temperature, and only an improvement of production technology or the development of a new production method can improve the electrical power generation performance with this method