Thermoelectric properties of polycrystalline bismuth and bismuth-antimony alloys

Transport and thermoelectric properties of polycrystalline bismuth-antimony alloys was investigated at temperature 80-300 K. To minimize of alloy liquation influence the polycrystalline samples was prepared from initial homogeneous single crystals by powdering pressing and annealing. Polycrystalline condition influence on the bismuth-antimony alloy transport phenomena consist in the restriction of charge carriers mobility´s and energy dependence of carriers relaxation time changes. At T<180 K thermoelectric figure of merit of polycrystalline bismuth-antimony samples is smaller than initial Bi-Sb single crystal ones. At T>180 K the polycrystalline bismuth-antimony thermoelectric figure of merit is situated nearer to average for Bi-Sb single crystals, that does perspective polycrystalline bismuth-antimony thermoelectric application