Enhanced thermoelectric and mechanical properties of Te-substituted skutterudite via nano-TiN dispersion

Nano-TiN dispersed CoSb2.875Te0.125 skutterudite composites are prepared by spark plasma sintering. It is found that the TiN particles dispersed almost evenly and most were embedded in the matrix. The addition of nano-TiN plays an effective role in reducing the lattice thermal conductivity and enhancing the dimensionless figure of merit of the samples. Furthermore, the flexural strength and the fracture toughness of the nanocomposites (1.0 vol.%) are improved by 31 and 40%, respectively, compared with the TiN-free samples. (C) 2012 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.