Preparation and thermoelectric properties of Al-doped ZnO ceramics

Al2O3 added ZnO powders were prepared via sol-gel processing, using zinc acetate, ammonia and Al2O3 powders as starting materials. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observations indicated that the Al2O3 added ZnO powders consisted of very fine particles (0.1-2 mum). The thermal conductivity, electrical conductivity and Seebeck coefficient of hot-pressed Al2O3 added ZnO ceramic samples were measured in dependence of temperature up to 600degreesC. The influence of Al2O3 addition on the thermoelectric (TE) properties of ZnO ceramics is discussed. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.