"Enhanced thermoelectric performance of Half Heulser and Silicon Germanium, and calculation on lattice thermal conductivity with Effective Medium Approach"

Nanostructured Half Heusler alloys MNiSn, MCoSb (M=Hf, Zr and Ti) and SiGe nanocomposites were synthesized with high energy vibrational ball mill, followed by spark plasma sintering (SPS) consolidation. The thermoelectric properties were measured from room temperature to 1100K, the dependence of thermoelectric properties on consolidation parameters and microstructures were investigated. A differential effective medium (DEM) model was also developed to evaluate the lattice thermal conductivity in heterogeneous two-phase systems.