AP0843 A Rapid and Efficient Preparation of Thermoelectric Zintl Antimonites YbZn2-xMnxSb2 by Microwave Irradiation Solid State Technique

Abstract

This work addresses a synthesis of Zintl antimonite compounds YbZn2_-xMn_xSb₂ (0.0≤x≤2.0) using a microwave-assisted solid state technique. The technique involves utilizing an active carbon as a susceptor around the primary components to produce large compact ingots. The microwave assisted solid state synthesis offers considerable advantages such as acceleration the reactions induced by high heating surrounding susceptor of starting components and gives large quaternary ingots in shorter time about 10 minutes compared with other traditional methods. Thermoelectric characterizations were measured for all synthesized compounds and among them, the compound YbZn_1.6Mn_0.4Sb₂ is found to be beast one as it shows Seebeck coefficient of -53.04 µV/K, and power factor of 1.78 µW/cm.K² at 523 K with carrier concentration of 4.8x10²¹ cm^-3 at 300K.