Effect of Conductive TiC 3D-Network Structure on the Thermoelectric Properties of SiC
ARSLAN K. 1, OZER S. 1, TURAN S. 1
1 Eski?ehir Technical University, Eski?ehir, Turkey
Thermoelectric (TE) materials are attracting more attention in the search for more productive, sustainable and cleaner energy sources due to their potential use in such as computers, automobiles, and power plants. The thermoelectric phenomenon is established on the basis of the direct conversion of heat energy to electrical energy using the Seebeck effect. The TE conversion efficiency of a material can be determined by using the dimensionless figure of merit (ZT) formulation: S2σT/κ; where S, σ, κ, and T are the Seebeck coefficient, electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity and temperature, respectively. SiC ceramics have impressive properties such as high oxidation resistance and excellent thermal stability, low cost of production and relatively good coefficient of Seebeck, making SiC a promising material for high temperature TE applications. On the other hand, increasing the electrical conductivity and simultaneously reducing the thermal conductivity of SiC is one of the main challenges to increase the TE efficiency of the material. This study aims to enhance the TE performance of SiC by coating SiC granules with TiC powders, resulting in TiC 3D network structures. Microstructure and phase distribution investigations of sintered samples were performed by using a scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Phase contents of the produced samples were analysed by the X-ray diffraction (XRD) method. Temperature-dependent electrical conductivity and Seebeck coefficients of the sintered samples were measured between 323 and 923 K using the 4-point probe (FPP) technique. Thermal conductivity values of the samples were calculated by measuring the heat capacity, thermal diffusivity and bulk density by laser flash technique (LFA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and Archimedes method, respectively. Electrical conductivity values increased dramatically with increasing TiC content due to the 3D continuous conductive network structure. On the other hand, thermal conductivity decreased due to the increased phonon scattering with increased phonon interactions. Despite these positive results, it has been observed that the Seebeck coefficients of the sintered samples deteriorate with increasing TiC content due to the n- type behaviour and low Seebeck coefficient of TiC material. A maximum ZT value of 4.89 x 10-3 was obtained with 1.5 vol. % TiC addition at 923 K and this value corresponds to an increase of ≈ 90 % compared to the reference SiC sample.