Facile and Cost-Effective Production of High-Performance Bi<sub>2</sub>Te<sub>3</sub>-Based Thermoelectric Materials

Saritas S., Colakoglu T., Emre B., Yildiz A.

JOURNAL OF ELECTRONIC MATERIALS, vol.55, no.2, pp.1710-1719, 2026 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Volume: 55 Issue: 2
  • Publication Date: 2026
  • Doi Number: 10.1007/s11664-025-12531-0
  • Journal Name: JOURNAL OF ELECTRONIC MATERIALS
  • Journal Indexes: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus, Chemical Abstracts Core, Chimica, Compendex, INSPEC
  • Page Numbers: pp.1710-1719
  • Keywords: Bi2Te3, cold isostatic press, cold press, power factor, Thermoelectrics
  • Middle East Technical University Affiliated: No

Abstract

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/mK-2 to 1.0 mW/mK-2 for the n-type BiTeSe sample and from 1.0 mW/mK-2 to 2.34 mW/mK-2 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.