Journal of Electronic Materials, 2025 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)
Thermoelectrics have the potential to be utilized for localized power generation and refrigeration by enabling direct conversion between heat and electrical energy. In this study, we present a simple and affordable approach for the synthesis of high-performance Bi2Te3-based thermoelectric (TE) materials using cold press (CP) and cold isostatic press (CIP) methods. The results indicate that Bi2Te3-based materials synthesized using this approach exhibit remarkable TE performance, with cost-effective and simple production. A notable enhancement in power factor (PF) values was observed upon transition from CP to CIP. The PF increased from 0.57 mW/m·K2 to 1.0 mW/m·K2 for the n-type BiTeSe sample and from 1.0 mW/m·K2 to 2.34 mW/m·K2 for the p-type BiSbTe sample. In samples subjected to consecutive CP and CIP processes, a simultaneous enhancement in electrical conductivity and reduction in thermal conductivity contributed to an enhanced ZT value at room temperature, increasing from 0.4 to 0.8 for the n-type BiTeSe sample and from 0.4 to 1.5 for the p-type BiSbTe sample. This approach thus provides an alternative solution for the scalable and cost-effective production of Bi2Te3-based TE materials, which have potential applications in waste heat recovery and solid-state cooling.