ICT2014 Abstracts

Starting from elemental powder mixtures of MnFe₄Sb₁₂ skutterudite were prepared by mechanical alloying (MA) and cold isostatic pressure (CIP) followed by hot isostatic pressure (HIP). The promising electronic configuration of Mn-filled FeSb₃ may result in high Seebeck (S), which together with its cage structure may give low thermal conductivity (k) and hence result in high ZT. In this work, the fabrication process using a combination of CIP and HIP were introduced in order to produce a nanocrystalline material with less deformation induced lattice defects such as dislocations and vacancies that normally result from hot pressing process (HP). The effect of processing parameters on formation and thermoelectric properties of MnFe₄Sb₁₂ were studied. The compounds have been characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The as sintered samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). The results correlate between the chemical composition, microstructure and the overall thermoelectric properties of the MnFe₄Sb₁₂ produced using the CIP/HIP method.