Effect of Heat Treatment in Air on Thermoelectric Properties of Polycrystalline Type-I Silicon-Based Clathrate: Ba8Al15Si31

The effect of heat treatment in air on the thermoelectric properties was investigated for polycrystalline Ba8Al15Si31, where the Al content is almost at the maximum in the Ba8Al (x) Si46-x system, to evaluate the thermal stability in air at high temperatures, which is indispensable for practical use in thermoelectric applications. Samples were prepared by combining arc melting and spark plasma sintering techniques. Heat treatments were performed in air at 873 K for 10 days and 20 days. The Seebeck coefficient, electrical conductivity, and thermal conductivity were measured before and after the heat treatments. The microstructure and chemical composition were also analyzed before and after the heat treatments, using scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy. Although an oxidation layer was formed on the surface by the heat treatment in air, the chemical composition of the interior of Ba8Al15Si31 was found to be stable in air at 873 K for 10 days and 20 days. The Seebeck coefficient, the electrical conductivity, and the thermal conductivity were found to be almost unchanged after the heat treatment, indicating that Ba8Al15Si31 clathrate is promising as a thermoelectric material with high thermal stability for use in air at 873 K.