Bi2Te3 powders are recovered by wet chemical reduction for waste n-type thermoelectric chips, and the recovered particles with different morphologies are prepared using various surfactants such as cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate (SDBS), and ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA). When citric acid is added as the surfactant, the shape of the aggregated particles shows no distinctive features. On the other hand, rod-shaped particles are formed in the sample with CTAB, and sheet-like particles are synthesized with the addition of SDBS. Further, particles with a tripod shape are observed when EDTA is added as the surfactant. The growth mechanism of the particle shapes depending on the surfactant is investigated, with a focus on the nucleation and growth phenomena. These results help to elucidate the intrinsic formation mechanism of the rod, plate, and tripod structures of the Bi2Te3 recovered by the wet reduction process.

Carbon nanotube-dispersed bismuth telluride matrix (CNT/Bi2Te3) nanopowders were synthesized by chem- ical routes followed by a ball-milling process. The microstructures of the synthesized CNT/Bi2Te3 nanopowders showed the characteristic microstructure of CNTs dispersed among disc-shaped Bi2Te3 nanopowders with as an average size of 500 nm in-plane and a few tens of nm in thickness. The prepared nanopowders were sintered into composites with a homogeneous dispersion of CNTs in a Bi2Te3 matrix. The dimensionless figure-of-merit of the composite showed an enhanced value compared to that of pure Bi2Te3 at the room temperature due to the reduced thermal conductivity and increased electrical conductivity with the addition of CNTs.

The p-type thermoelectric compounds of based doped with 3wt% Te were fabricated by a combination of rapid solidification and spark plasma sintering (SPS) process. The effect of holding time during spark plasma sintering (SPS) on the microstructure and thermoelectric properties were investigated using scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and thermoelectric properties. The powders as solidified consisted of homogeneous thermoelectric phases. The thermoelectric figure of merit measured to be maximum () at the SPS temperature of .

Carbon-nanotube-embedded bismuth telluride (CNT/) matrix composites were fabricated by a powder metallurgy process. Composite powders, whereby 5 vol.% of functionalized CNTs were homogeneously mixed with alloying powders, were successfully synthesized by using high-energy ball milling process. The powders were consolidated into bulk CNT/ composites by spark plasma sintering process at for 10 min. The fabricated composites showed the uniform mixing and homogeneous dispersion of CNTs in the matrix. Seebeck coefficient of CNT/ composites reveals that the composite has n-type semiconducting characteristics with values ranging to with increasing temperature. Furthermore, the significant reduction in thermal conductivity has been clearly observed in the composites. The results showed that CNT addition to thermoelectric materials could be useful method to obtain high thermoelectric performance.

Two kinds of Bi2Te3 powders, pure Bi2Te3/2vol.%ZrO2, have been prepared by a mechanical grinding process process. Effect of mixing of the powders on thermoelectric of the sintered body has been investigated by measuring Seebeck Coeffcient, specific electric resistivity and thermal conductivity. With an increase in the weight fraction of the Bi2Te3/2vol.%ZrO2 powder from 0 to 40wt.%. Especially, the figure of merit of the mixedBi2Te3 sintered body increases and thereafter dedreases above 40wt.%. Especially. the figure of merit of the mixed Bi2Te3 sintered bodies with mixing of Bi2Te3/2vol.%ZrO2 powder increased about 1.3time in comparison with the value of the specimen before mixing. Mixing of two kinds of Bi2Te3 powders which have different theramal and electric propertries with each other seemed to be useful methob to increase the figure of merit of Bi2Te3 sintered body.