Fabrication and characterization of thermoelectric thick film prepared from p-type bismuth telluride nanopowders

In this study, bismuth telluride (Bi2Te3)-based nanopowders with particle size ranging from 100 to 300 nm are prepared by high-energy ball milling. Then, the prepared nanopowders are homogeneously mixed with organic binders to form a paste; this paste is used as the raw material to prepare thick-film thermoelectric modules. The thick film prepared by screen printing followed by hot pressing of p-type pastes show reproducible thermoelectric properties, exhibiting an electrical resistivity of 2.0 m Omega cm and a Seebeck coefficient of 298 muVK-1. The prepared p-type Bi2Te3 thick film has a high power factor because its Seebeck coefficient is significantly higher than that of Bi2Te3 based-bulk materials. These results indicate that a thick film prepared from bismuth telluride nanopowders has potential for use as high-performance thermoelectric modules in practical applications such as power generation and cooling system in electronic devices.