High-temperature thermoelectric properties of thallium-filled skutterudites

Abstract

The high temperature thermoelectric (TE) properties of polycrystalline Tl-filled skutterudites TlxCo4Sb12 (x=0, 0.05, 0.10, 0.15, 0.20, and 0.25) were examined from room temperature to 750 K. All samples exhibited negative Seebeck coefficients. The electrical resistivity, absolute values of the Seebeck coefficient, and the lattice thermal conductivity were found to decrease with increasing Tl content. Tl0.25Co4Sb12 exhibited the best TE performance; the maximum value for the dimensionless figure of merit ZT was 0.90 at 600 K.