An Investigation on Hydrogen Storage Kinetics of the Nanocrystalline and Amorphous LaMg_(12)-type Alloys Synthesized by Mechanical Milling

Nanocrystalline and amorphous LaMg_(12)-type LaMg_(11)Ni + x wt% Ni(x = 100, 200) alloys were synthesized by mechanical milling. Effects of Ni content and milling time on the gaseous and electrochemical hydrogen storage kinetics of as-milled alloys were investigated systematically. The electrochemical hydrogen storage properties of the as-milled alloys were tested by an automatic galvanostatic system. And the gaseous hydrogen storage properties were investigated by Sievert apparatus and a differential scanning calorimeter(DSC) connected with a H_2 detector. Hydrogen desorption activation energy of alloy hydrides was estimated by using Arrhenius and Kissinger methods. It is found that the increase of Ni content significantly improves the gaseous and electrochemical hydrogen storage kinetic performances of as-milled alloys. Furthermore, as ball milling time changes, the maximum of both high rate discharge ability(HRD) and the gaseous hydriding rate of as-milled alloys can be obtained. But the hydrogen desorption kinetics of alloys always increases with the extending of milling time. Moreover, the improved gaseous hydrogen storage kinetics of alloys are ascribed to a decrease in the hydrogen desorption activation energy caused by increasing Ni content and milling time.     

Structures and Electrochemical Performances of As-spun RE-Mg-Ni-Mn-based Alloys Applied to Ni-MH Battery

The La-Mg-Ni-Mn-based AB₂-type La_1-xCe_xMgNi_3.5Mn_0.5 (x = 0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, and 0.4) alloys were fabricated by melt spinning technology. The effects of Ce content on the structures and electrochemical hydrogen storage performances of the alloys were studied systematically. The XRD and SEM analyses proved that the experimental alloys consist of a major phase LaMgNi₄ and a secondary phase LaNi₅. The variation of Ce content causes an obvious change in the phase abundance of the alloys without changing the phase composition. Namely, with the increase of Ce content, the LaMgNi₄ phase augments and the LaNi₅ phase declines. The lattice constants and cell volumes of the alloys clearly shrink with increasing Ce content. Moreover, the Ce substitution for La results in the grains of the alloys clearly refined. The electrochemical tests showed that the substitution of Ce for La obviously improves the cycle stability of the as-spun alloys. The analyses on the capacity degradation mechanism demonstrate that the improvement can be attributed to the ameliorated anti-corrosion and anti-oxidation ability originating from substituting partial La with Ce. The as-spun alloys exhibit excellent activation capability, reaching the maximum discharge capacities just at the first cycling without any activation treatment. The substitution of Ce for La evidently improves the discharge potential characteristics of the as-spun alloys. The discharge capacity of the alloys first increases and then decreases with growing Ce content. Furthermore, a similar trend also exists in the electrochemical kinetics of the alloys, including the high rate discharge ability (HRD), hydrogen diffusion coefficient (D), limiting current density (I_L) and charge transfer rate.     

Gaseous and electrochemical hydrogen storage kinetics of as-quenched nanocrystalline and amorphous Mg2Ni-type alloys

The nanocrystalline and amorphous Mg₂Ni-type Mg₂Ni_1?x Co _x (x = 0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4) alloys were synthesized by melt quenching technology. The structures of the as-cast and quenched alloys were characterized by XRD, SEM and HRTEM. The gaseous hydrogen storage kinetics of the alloys was measured using an automatically controlled Sieverts apparatus. The alloy electrodes were charged and discharged with a constant current density in order to investigate the electrochemical hydrogen storage kinetics of the alloys. The results demonstrate that the substitution of Co for Ni results in the formation of secondary phases MgCo₂ and Mg instead of altering the major phase Mg₂Ni. No amorphous phase is detected in the as-quenched Cofree alloy, however, a certain amount of amorphous phase is clearly found in the as-quenched alloys substituted by Co. Furthermore, both the rapid quenching and the Co substitution significantly improve the gaseous and electrochemical hydrogen storage kinetics of the alloys, for which the notable increase of the hydrogen diffusion coefficient (D) along with the limiting current density (I _L ) and the obvious decline of the electrochemical impedance generated by both the Co substitution and the rapid quenching are basically responsible.     

Preparation and piezoelectric properties of CuO-added (Ag<Subscript>0.75</Subscript>Li<Subscript>0.1</Subscript>Na<Subscript>0.1</Subscript>K<Subscript>0.05</Subscript>)NbO<Subscript>3</Subscript> lead-free ceramics

CuO-doped (Ag_0.75Li_0.1Na_0.1K_0.05)NbO₃ (ALNKN-xCuO, x = 0–2mol%) lead-free piezoelectric ceramics were prepared by the solid-state reaction method in air atmosphere. The effects of CuO addition on the phase structure, microstructure, and piezoelectric properties of the ceramics were investigated. The experimental results show that the ALNKN ceramics without doping CuO possess rhombohedral phase along with K2Nb6O16-type phase and metallic silver phase. For all of the CuO-doped ALNKN ceramics, a pure perovskite structure with the orthorhombic phase was obtained by enclosing the samples in a corundum tube. A homogeneous microstructure with the grain size of about 1 μm was formed for the ceramics with 0.5mol% CuO. The grain size increases with increasing amount of CuO. The temperature dependence of dielectric properties indicates that the ferroelectric phase of the ALNKN-xCuO ceramics becomes less stable with the addition of CuO. The ceramics with x = 1mol% exhibit relatively good electrical properties along with a high Curie temperature. These results will provide a helpful guidance to preparing other AN-based ceramics by solid-state reaction method in air atmosphere.     

Improved Breakdown Strength in (Ba<Subscript>0.6</Subscript>Sr<Subscript>0.4</Subscript>)<Subscript>0.85</Subscript>Bi<Subscript>0.1</Subscript>TiO<Subscript>3</Subscript> Ceramics with Addition of CaZrO<Subscript>3</Subscript> for Energy Storage Application

(Ba_0.6Sr_0.4)_0.85Bi_0.1TiO₃ ceramics doped with x wt%CaZrO₃ (x= 0-10) were synthesized by solid-state reaction method. The effects of CaZrO₃ amount on the dielectric properties and structure of (Ba_0.6Sr_0.4)_0.85Bi_0.1TiO₃ ceramics were investigated. X-ray diffraction results indicated a pure cubic perovskite structure for all samples and that the lattice parameter increased till x=5 and then slightly decreased. A homogenous microstructure was observed with the addition of CaZrO₃. Dielectric measurements revealed a relaxor-like characteristic for all samples and that the diffusivity γ reached the maximum value of 1.78 at x=5. With the addition of CaZrO₃, the dielectric constant dependence on electric field was weakened, insulation resistivity enhanced and dielectric breakdown strength improved obviously and reached 19.9 kV/mm at x=7.5. In virtue of low dielectric loss (tan δ<0.001 5), moderate dielectric constant (ε_r >1 500) and high breakdown strength (E_b >17.5 kV/mm), the CaZrO₃ doped (Ba_0.6Sr_0.4)_0.85Bi_0.1TiO₃ ceramic is a potential candidate material for high power electric applications.     

Effect of Cu-Ti-C reaction composition on reinforcing particles size of TiC<Subscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">x</Emphasis></Subscript>/Cu composites

TiC _x /Cu composites were fabricated by combustion synthesis and hot press technology. Using XRD, SEM, EDS, FESEM analysis methods, the effects of various carbon sources and different Cu contents on the microstructures of TiC _x /Cu composites and the size of TiC _x particles were investigated. Results showed that TiC _x reinforcing particles size increases with decreasing Cu content in Cu-Ti-C reaction system. With carbon nanotubes (carbon black) serving as carbon source, the generated TiC _x particles size transits from nanometer to submicron when Cu content corresponding to the reaction system is reduced to 60 vol% (70 vol%); while graphite serves as carbon source, there is no clear limiting concentration. C particles with smaller size, larger specific surface area and better distribution result in finer TiC _x particles, which is more beneficial to generating nano-sized TiC _x /Cu composites.     

Effects of annealing processes on Cu<Subscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">x</Emphasis></Subscript>Si<Subscript>1-<Emphasis Type="Italic">x</Emphasis></Subscript> thin films

The Cu _x Si_1-x thin films have been grown by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) with in situ annealing on Si (001) and Si (111), respectively. The transformation of phase was detected by X-ray diffraction (XRD). The results showed that the as-deposited films were composed of Cu on both Si (001) and Si (111). The annealed thin films consisted of Cu + η”-Cu₃Si on Si (001) while Cu + η’-Cu₃Si on Si (111), respectively, at annealed temperature (T _a) = 300-600 °C. With the further increasing of T _a, at T _a= 700 °C, there was only one main phase, η”-Cu₃Si on Si (001) while η’-Cu₃Si on Si (111), respectively. The annealed thin films transformed from continuous dense structure to scattered-grain morphology with increasing T _a detected by field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM). It was also showed that the grain size would enlarge with increasing annealing time (t _a).     

Effects of H<Subscript>2</Subscript>/CO/CH<Subscript>4</Subscript> syngas composition variation on the NO<Subscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">x</Emphasis></Subscript> and CO emission characteristics in a partially-premixed gas turbine combustor

This paper reports the effects of variations in the fuel composition of H₂/CO/CH₄ syngas on the characteristics of NO _x and CO emissions in a partially-premixed gas turbine combustor. Combustion tests were conducted on a full range of fuel compositions by varying each component gas from 0% to 100% at heat inputs of 40 and 50 kW_th. Flame temperature, combustor liner temperature, ignition delay time, and flame structure were investigated computationally and experimentally to judge whether they are significant indicators of NO _x and CO formation. The characteristics of and reasons for NO _x and CO emissions were investigated by analyzing the emission mechanisms and relationships among fuel property, equivalence ratio, flame temperature, liner temperature, flame shape. The flame structures were investigated using the following flame visualization methods: (1) time-averaged OH* chemiluminescence and its Abel-deconvolution; (2) direct photography; and (3) instantaneous OH-PLIF. The flame structures were greatly changed by the fuel composition and heat input, and they were subjected to key affecting parameters of the temperatures of the flames and the liners. NO _x and CO emissions also largely varied according to fuel composition and heat input, showing neither linearly nor exponentially clear proportional trends toward the syngas compositions because of the singular conditions. For example, only the 100% CO flame at low load emitted lots of CO, whereas complete combustion was observed in other cases. However, the qualitative observations showed that the root causes of NO _x emission behaviors were flame temperature and flame structure, which were directly related to the residence time in the flame. Various sets of practical test results were obtained, and these results could contribute to the optimal selection of the fuel-feeding condition when fuel is changed from natural gas to syngas in order to minimize NO _x and CO emissions with stable combustion.     

Electronic Structure and Optical Properties of LiBiO<Subscript>3</Subscript> Doped with V,Nb, and Ta

The crystal structure, band structure, density of states, Mulliken charge, bond population and optical properties for LiBi_1-xM_xO₃ (M=V, Nb, and Ta) were investigated using hybrid density functional theory. It was found that LiBiO₃ doped with V, Nb, and Ta presented distinctly stronger covalent interactions in M-O (M=V, Nb, and Ta) than Bi-O, thus resulting in mild distortion of the structure and facilitating the separation of photogenerated carriers. Furthermore, the hybridizations of Bi-6s, M-d (M=V, Nb, and Ta) and O-2p widened the valence and conduction bands, which promoted transmission of photogenerated carriers in the band edge and thus caused better photocatalytic performance.     

Effects of electrode on resistance switching properties of ZnMn<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>4</Subscript> films deposited by magnetron sputtering

ZnMn₂O₄ films for resistance random access memory (RRAM) were fabricated with different device structures by magnetron sputtering. The effects of electrode on I-V characteristics, resistance switching behavior, endurance and retention characteristics of ZnMn₂O₄ films were investigated. The ZnMn₂O₄ films, using p-Si and Pt as bottom electrode, exhibit bipolar resistive switching (BRS) behavior dominated by the space-charge-limited conduction (SCLC) mechanism in the high resistance state (HRS) and the filament conduction mechanism in the low resistance state (LRS), but the ZnMn₂O₄ films using n-Si as bottom electrodes exhibit both bipolar and unipolar resistive switching behaviors controlled by the Poole-Frenkel (P-F) conduction mechanism in both HRS and LRS. Ag/ZnMn₂O₄/p-Si device possesses the best endurance and retention characteristics, in which the number of stable repetition switching cycle is over 1000 and the retention time is longer than 10⁶ seconds. However, the highest R _HRS/R _LRS ratio of 10⁴ and the lowest V _ON and V _OFF of 3.0 V have been observed in Ag/ZnMn₂O₄/Pt device. Though the Ag/ZnMn₂O₄/n-Si device also possesses the highest R _HRS/R _LRS ratio of 10⁴, but the highest values of V _ON,V _OFF, R _HRS and R _LRS, as well as the poor endurance and retention characteristics.     

Density function theory study of electronic,optical and thermodynamic properties of CaN<Subscript>2</Subscript>, SrN<Subscript>2</Subscript> and BaN<Subscript>2</Subscript>

We put forward a first-principles density-functional theory about the impact of pressure on the structural and elastic properties of bulk CaN₂, SrN₂ and BaN₂. The ground state properties of three alkaline earth diazenides were obtained, and these were in good agreement with previous experimental and theoretical data. By using the quasi-harmonic Debye model, the thermodynamic properties including the debye temperature Θ _D, thermal expansion coefficient α, and grüneisen parameter γ are successfully obtained in the temperature range from 0 to 100 K and pressure range from 0 to 100 GPa, respectively. The optical properties including dielectric function ε(?), absorption coefficient α(?), reflectivity coefficient R(?), and refractive index n(?) are also calculated and analyzed.     

Enhanced Ferroelectric Polarization in Laser-ablated Bi<Subscript>4</Subscript>Ti<Subscript>3</Subscript>O<Subscript>12</Subscript> Thin Films by Controlling Preferred Orientation

Polycrystalline Bi₄Ti₃O₁₂ thin films with various fractions of a-axis, c-axis and random orientations have been grown on Pt(111)/Ti/SiO₂/Si substrates by laser-ablation under different kinetic growth conditions. The relationship between the structure and ferroelectric property of the films was investigated, so as to explore the possibility of enhancing ferroelectric polarization by controlling the preferred orientation. The structural characterization indicated that the large growth rate and high oxygen background pressure were both favorable for the growth of non-c-axis oriented grains in the Bi₄Ti₃O₁₂ thin films. The films with high fractions of a-axis and random orientations, i e, f (a-sxis) = 28.3% and f (random) = 69.6%, could be obtained at the deposition temperature of 973 K, oxygen partial pressure of 15 Pa and laser fluence of 4.6 J/cm², respectively. It was also noted that the variation of ferroelectric polarization was in accordance with the evolution non-c-axis orientation. A large value of remanent polarization (2Pr = 35.5 μC/cm²) was obtained for the Bi₄Ti₃O₁₂ thin films with significant non-c-axis orientation, even higher than that of rare-earth-doped Bi₄Ti₃O₁₂ films.     

Influence of substituting Ni with Co on hydriding and dehydriding kinetics of melt spun nanocrystalline and amorphous Mg2Ni-type alloys

In order to improve the hydriding and dehydriding kinetics of the Mg₂Ni-type alloys, Ni in the alloy is substituted by element Co. The nanocrystalline and amorphous Mg₂Ni-type Mg₂Ni_1−x Co _x (x=0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4) alloys were synthesized by melt-spinning technique. The structures of the as-cast and spun alloys were studied with an X-ray diffractometer (XRD) and a high resolution transmission electronic microscope (HRTEM). An investigation on the thermal stability of the as-spun alloys was carried out with a differential scanning calorimeter (DSC). The hydrogen absorption and desorption kinetics of the alloys were measured with an automatically controlled Sieverts apparatus. The results demonstrate that the substitution of Co for Ni does not alter the major phase of Mg₂Ni but results in the formation of secondary phase MgCo₂. No amorphous phase is detected in the as-spun Co-free alloy, but a certain amount of amorphous phase is clearly found in the as-spun Co-containing alloys. The substitution of Co for Ni exerts a slight influence on the hydriding kinetics of the as-spun alloy. However, it dramatically enhances the dehydriding kinetics of the as-cast and spun alloys. As Co content (x) increases from 0 to 0.4, the hydrogen desorption capacity increases from 0.19% to 1.39% (mass fraction) in 20 min for the as-cast alloy, and from 0.89% to 2.18% (mass fraction) for the as-spun alloy (30 m/s).     

Remarkable improvement of ferroelectric properties and leakage current in BiFeO<Subscript>3</Subscript> thin films by nd modification

Ferroelectric and leakage properties are important for ferroelectric applications. Pure and Nd-doped (x=0.05-0.20) BiFeO3 thin films were fabricated by sol-gel method on FTO substrates. The phase structure, surface morphology, leakage current, ferroelectric properties, and optical properties of BiFeO₃^- based thin films were investigated. The substitution of Nd³⁺ ions for the Bi3+ site converts the structure from rhombohedral to coexisting tetragonal and orthorhombic. Nd doping improves the crystallinity of BiFeO₃ thin films. The leakage current of Nd-doped BiFeO₃ decreases by two to three orders of magnitude compared with that of pure BiFeO₃. Among the samples, 15% Nd-doped BiFeO₃ exhibits the strongest ferroelectric polarization of 17.96 μC/cm². Furthermore, the absorption edges of Bi_1-xNd _x FeO₃ thin films show a slight red-shift after Nd doping.     

Effect of Ga<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript> on structure and properties of calcium aluminate glasses

The effect of Ga₂O₃ on the structure and properties of calcium aluminate glasses fabricated by vacuum melting process was investigated by Raman spectrum, differential scanning calorimeter (DSC), and infrared spectrum methods. The results show that calcium aluminate glass network only consists of [AlO₄] tetrahedral units. With the gradual addition of Ga₂O₃, the quantity of [GaO₄] tetrahedral units increases. Substitution of Ga₂O₃ for Al₂O₃ results in a decrease in T _g T _x, and T _p, and an increase in the thermal stable index ΔT. Similarly, the absorption band around 3.0 μm obviously reduces and the transparency in 4.0-6.0 μm rapidly increases with increasing Ga₂O₃ content. However, the chemical stability of calcium aluminate glasses decreases if Ga₂O₃ is introduced due to the increasing of [GaO₄] units in the glass network.     

Effects of Si and Ce on the microstructure and hydrogen storage property of Ti<Subscript>26.5</Subscript>Cr<Subscript>20</Subscript>V<Subscript>45</Subscript>Fe<Subscript>8.5</Subscript>Ce<Subscript>0.5</Subscript> alloy

In this paper, the effects of Si and Ce on the microstructure and hydrogen storage property of Ti_26.5Cr₂₀V₄₅Fe_8.5Ce_0.5 alloy were studied, respectively. First of all, effects of Si on the microstructure and hydrogen storage properties of Ti_26.5Cr₂₀(V₄₅Fe_8.5)_1−x Si _x Ce_0.5 (x = 0, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5 and 2.0 at%) alloys were studied by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and P-C isotherm measurements. As the Si addition increases, the hydrogen absorption capacities of alloys decrease but the equilibrium pressure increases, due to the formation of Laves phase. Secondly, the effect of Ce on Ti_26.5Cr₂₀ (V₄₅Fe_8.5)_0.98Si₂ alloy was studied. It was found that Ce addition is an effective way to eliminate the effect of Si on the hydrogen storage properties of the alloy. Supported by the National Hi-Tech Research and Development Program of China (“863” Project) (Grant No. 2006AA05Z144)     

Spontaneous Magnetic Transitions and Corresponding Magnetoelastic Properties of Intermetallic Compounds <Emphasis Type="Italic">R</Emphasis>Mn<Subscript>2</Subscript>Ge<Subscript>2</Subscript> (<Emphasis Type="Italic">R</Emphasis>=Gd,Tb and Dy)

The spontaneous magnetic transitions and corresponding magnetoelastic properties of intermetallic compounds RMn₂Ge₂ (R=Gd, Tb and Dy) were investigated by using the X-ray diffraction method and magnetic measurement. The results showed that the compounds experience two magnetic transitions, namely the second-order paramagnetic to antiferromagnetic transition at temperature T_N (T_N=368, 423 and 443 K for GdMn₂Ge₂, TbMn₂Ge₂ and DyMn₂Ge₂, respectively) and the first-order antiferromagnetic - ferrimagnetic transition at temperature T_t (T_t=96, 80 and 40 K for GdMn₂Ge₂, TbMn₂Ge₂ and DyMn₂Ge₂, respectively) as the temperature decreases. The temperature dependence of the lattice constant a(T) displays a negative magnetoelastic anomaly at the second-order transition point T_N and, at the first-order transition T_t, a increases abruptly for GdMn₂Ge₂ and TbMn₂Ge₂, Δa/a about 10^-3. Nevertheless, the lattice constant c almost does not change at these transition points indicating that such magnetoelastic anomalies are mainly contributed by the Mn-sublattice. The transitions of the magnetoelastic properties are also evidenced on the temperature dependence of magnetic susceptibility χ. The first-order transition behavior at T_t is explained by the Kittel mode of exchange inversion.     

Crystal growth,structure and properties of bismuth triborate BiB<Subscript>3</Subscript>O<Subscript>6</Subscript> crystal

BiB₃O₆ (BIBO) single crystals with size of 46×23×10 mm³ and weight of 26.0 g have been successfully grown by top-seeded method. Problems encountered in the growth process of this crystal have been discussed in detail, and the methods of growing high-quality large crystals have been put forward. The relationship between their structure and properties is studied. The space group of monoclinic BiB₃O₆ is C2 and the cell parameters are a=7.1203(7) Å, b=4.9948(7) Å, c=6.5077(7) Å, β=105.586(8)″, and V=222.93(5) ų. The density of BIBO is 4.8965 g/cm³. The Mohs’s scale of hardness is 5.5–6. There is no cleavage face in the crystal. The transmittance of BIBO is about 80 percent in the range from visible coherent light to near-infrared light. The ultraviolet cutoff wavelength is at 276 nm. BiB₃O₆ is a biaxial crystal and has two sets of axes, and the relative orientation of (X, Y, Z) with regard to (a, b, c) is: X//b, (Y, c)=47.2°, (Z, a)=31.6°, determined by X-ray analysis combined with polarized microscopy. Second-harmonic-generation (SHG) experiments were carried out for the first time. In type I phase-matching (PM) directions (11.1°, 90°) and (168.9°, 90°), SHG conversion efficiencies of two directions for 1.064 μm light are up to 67.7% and 58%, respectively. We have also obtained the third-harmonic-generation (THG) of 1.064 μm. The comparative experiments between BIBO and KTP were carried out on conversion efficiency, transmittance and hardness. All the above results indicate that BiB₃O₆ is a kind of excellent nonlinear optical (NLO) crystal.     

Low temperature synthesis of amorphous La<Subscript>0.7</Subscript>Zn<Subscript>0.3</Subscript>MnO<Subscript>3</Subscript> films grown on p<Superscript>+</Superscript>-Si substrates and its resistive switching properties

Amorphous La_0.7Zn_0.3MnO₃ (LZMO) films were deposited on p⁺-Si substrates by sol-gel method at low temperature of 450 °C. The Ag/LZMO/p⁺-Si device exhibits invertible bipolar resistive switching and the R _HRS/R _LRS was about 10⁴-10⁶ at room temperature which can be kept over 10³ switching cycles. Better endurance characteristics were observed in the Ag/LZMO/p⁺-Si device, the V _Set and the V _Reset almost remained after 10³ endurance switching cycles. According to electrical analyses, the conductor mechanism was in low resistor state (LRS) governed by the filament conductor and in the high state (HRS) dominated by the traps-controlled space-charge-limited current (SCLC) conductor.     

Nanostructuring and thermoelectric properties of bulk N-type Mg<Subscript>2</Subscript>Si

Preparation and thermoelectric properties of nanostructured n-type Mg₂Si bulk materials were reported. Nanosized Mg₂Si powder was obtained by mechanical milling of the microsized Mg₂Si powder prepared by solid-state reaction. The bulk materials with 30 nm and 5 µm were prepared by spark plasma sintering of the nanosized and microsized Mg₂Si powder, respectively. Both the samples show n-type conduction and the Seebeck coefficient of the sintered samples increase determinately with the grain size decrease from 5 µm to 30 nm. On the other hand, the electrical and thermal conductivity decrease with the decrease of grain size. Accordingly, decreasing their grain size increases their thermoelectric-figure-of-merit. A maximum thermoelectric figure of merit of 0.36 has been obtained for the nanostuctured Mg₂Si sample at 823 K, which is 38% higher than that of microsized Mg₂Si bulk materials and higher than results of other literatures. It could be expected that the properties of the nanocomposites could be further improved by doping optimization.