Title
Half-Heusler Thermoelectric Materials' Synthesis and Characterization
Document Type
Student Presentation
Presentation Date
4-17-2017
Faculty Sponsor
Brian Jaques
Abstract
Thermoelectric generators (TEGs) utilize a temperature gradient to convert heat directly into electricity. TEGs are of great interest in the nuclear industry as they are commonly used to power wireless sensor nodes (WSNs) which are useful for prognostic health monitoring in and around nuclear power plants. Due to the large amount of waste heat in nuclear power plants, high efficiency and radiation tolerant materials for TEGs are sought. This research is focused on improving the performance and radiation tolerance of zirconium based half-heusler structured thermoelectric materials from 30-600 °C. Varying compositions of zirconium based half-heusler structured materials were fabricated via hot pressing and spark plasma sintering and characterized for microstructure and thermoelectric properties before and after proton irradiation. The effects of microstructure on thermoelectric performance & irradiation tolerance were studied.
Recommended Citation
Lupercio, Addie, "Half-Heusler Thermoelectric Materials' Synthesis and Characterization" (2017). 2017 Undergraduate Research and Scholarship Conference.
https://scholarworks.boisestate.edu/eng_17/20