The thermoelectric properties of InxCo4Sb12 alloys prepared by HPHT

In x Co 4 Sb 12 (0.1 ≤ x ≤ 0.5) skutterudite compounds with bcc crystal structure have been prepared by high-pressure and high-temperature (HPHT) method. Through this method, the processing time can be reduced from a few days to half an hour. The constituent phases of all resultant samples were determined by X-ray diffraction. The Seebeck coefficient, electrical resistivity, power factor and thermal conductivity of In x Co 4 Sb 12 (0.1 ≤ x ≤ 0.5) were all measured in the temperature range of 302–665 K. Among all the samples, In 0.5 Co 4 Sb 12 showed the highest power factor of 31.3 μWcm − 1 K − 2 at 616 K and the lowest thermal conductivity of 2.193 Wm − 1 K − 1 at 568 K. As a result, the maximum dimensionless figure of merit (ZT) value of In 0.5 Co 4 Sb 12 reached 0.88 at 665 K, which can be attributed to its low thermal conductivity and high power factor.