Overcoming Asymmetric Contact Resistances in Al-Contacted Mg<sub>2</sub>(Si,Sn) Thermoelectric Legs

Thermoelectric generators are a reliable and environmentally friendly source of electrical energy. A crucial step for their development is the maximization of their efficiency. The efficiency of a TEG is inversely related to its electrical contact resistance, which it is therefore essential to minim...

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Autores principales:	Julia Camut, Sahar Ayachi, Gustavo Castillo-Hernández, Sungjin Park, Byungki Ryu, Sudong Park, Adina Frank, Christian Stiewe, Eckhard Müller, Johannes de Boor
Formato:	article
Lenguaje:	EN
Publicado:	MDPI AG 2021
Materias:	thermoelectrics thermoelectric generator contacting contact resistance electrode silicides Technology T Electrical engineering. Electronics. Nuclear engineering TK1-9971 Engineering (General). Civil engineering (General) TA1-2040 Microscopy QH201-278.5 Descriptive and experimental mechanics QC120-168.85
Acceso en línea:	https://doaj.org/article/8373345f434a4c8687c0d8dcb398651e
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spelling	oai:doaj.org-article:8373345f434a4c8687c0d8dcb398651e2021-11-25T18:13:27ZOvercoming Asymmetric Contact Resistances in Al-Contacted Mg<sub>2</sub>(Si,Sn) Thermoelectric Legs10.3390/ma142267741996-1944https://doaj.org/article/8373345f434a4c8687c0d8dcb398651e2021-11-01T00:00:00Zhttps://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/14/22/6774https://doaj.org/toc/1996-1944Thermoelectric generators are a reliable and environmentally friendly source of electrical energy. A crucial step for their development is the maximization of their efficiency. The efficiency of a TEG is inversely related to its electrical contact resistance, which it is therefore essential to minimize. In this paper, we investigate the contacting of an Al electrode on Mg<sub>2</sub>(Si,Sn) thermoelectric material and find that samples can show highly asymmetric electrical contact resistivities on both sides of a leg (e.g., 10 µΩ·cm<sup>2</sup> and 200 µΩ·cm<sup>2</sup>). Differential contacting experiments allow one to identify the oxide layer on the Al foil as well as the dicing of the pellets into legs are identified as the main origins of this behavior. In order to avoid any oxidation of the foil, a thin layer of Zn is sputtered after etching the Al surface; this method proves itself effective in keeping the contact resistivities of both interfaces equally low (<10 µΩ·cm<sup>2</sup>) after dicing. A slight gradient is observed in the n-type leg’s Seebeck coefficient after the contacting with the Zn-coated electrode and the role of Zn in this change is confirmed by comparing the experimental results to hybrid-density functional calculations of Zn point defects.Julia CamutSahar AyachiGustavo Castillo-HernándezSungjin ParkByungki RyuSudong ParkAdina FrankChristian StieweEckhard MüllerJohannes de BoorMDPI AGarticlethermoelectricsthermoelectric generatorcontactingcontact resistanceelectrodesilicidesTechnologyTElectrical engineering. Electronics. Nuclear engineeringTK1-9971Engineering (General). Civil engineering (General)TA1-2040MicroscopyQH201-278.5Descriptive and experimental mechanicsQC120-168.85ENMaterials, Vol 14, Iss 6774, p 6774 (2021)
institution	DOAJ
collection	DOAJ
language	EN
topic	thermoelectrics thermoelectric generator contacting contact resistance electrode silicides Technology T Electrical engineering. Electronics. Nuclear engineering TK1-9971 Engineering (General). Civil engineering (General) TA1-2040 Microscopy QH201-278.5 Descriptive and experimental mechanics QC120-168.85
spellingShingle	thermoelectrics thermoelectric generator contacting contact resistance electrode silicides Technology T Electrical engineering. Electronics. Nuclear engineering TK1-9971 Engineering (General). Civil engineering (General) TA1-2040 Microscopy QH201-278.5 Descriptive and experimental mechanics QC120-168.85 Julia Camut Sahar Ayachi Gustavo Castillo-Hernández Sungjin Park Byungki Ryu Sudong Park Adina Frank Christian Stiewe Eckhard Müller Johannes de Boor Overcoming Asymmetric Contact Resistances in Al-Contacted Mg<sub>2</sub>(Si,Sn) Thermoelectric Legs
description	Thermoelectric generators are a reliable and environmentally friendly source of electrical energy. A crucial step for their development is the maximization of their efficiency. The efficiency of a TEG is inversely related to its electrical contact resistance, which it is therefore essential to minimize. In this paper, we investigate the contacting of an Al electrode on Mg<sub>2</sub>(Si,Sn) thermoelectric material and find that samples can show highly asymmetric electrical contact resistivities on both sides of a leg (e.g., 10 µΩ·cm<sup>2</sup> and 200 µΩ·cm<sup>2</sup>). Differential contacting experiments allow one to identify the oxide layer on the Al foil as well as the dicing of the pellets into legs are identified as the main origins of this behavior. In order to avoid any oxidation of the foil, a thin layer of Zn is sputtered after etching the Al surface; this method proves itself effective in keeping the contact resistivities of both interfaces equally low (<10 µΩ·cm<sup>2</sup>) after dicing. A slight gradient is observed in the n-type leg’s Seebeck coefficient after the contacting with the Zn-coated electrode and the role of Zn in this change is confirmed by comparing the experimental results to hybrid-density functional calculations of Zn point defects.
format	article
author	Julia Camut Sahar Ayachi Gustavo Castillo-Hernández Sungjin Park Byungki Ryu Sudong Park Adina Frank Christian Stiewe Eckhard Müller Johannes de Boor
author_facet	Julia Camut Sahar Ayachi Gustavo Castillo-Hernández Sungjin Park Byungki Ryu Sudong Park Adina Frank Christian Stiewe Eckhard Müller Johannes de Boor
author_sort	Julia Camut
title	Overcoming Asymmetric Contact Resistances in Al-Contacted Mg<sub>2</sub>(Si,Sn) Thermoelectric Legs
title_short	Overcoming Asymmetric Contact Resistances in Al-Contacted Mg<sub>2</sub>(Si,Sn) Thermoelectric Legs
title_full	Overcoming Asymmetric Contact Resistances in Al-Contacted Mg<sub>2</sub>(Si,Sn) Thermoelectric Legs
title_fullStr	Overcoming Asymmetric Contact Resistances in Al-Contacted Mg<sub>2</sub>(Si,Sn) Thermoelectric Legs
title_full_unstemmed	Overcoming Asymmetric Contact Resistances in Al-Contacted Mg<sub>2</sub>(Si,Sn) Thermoelectric Legs
title_sort	overcoming asymmetric contact resistances in al-contacted mg<sub>2</sub>(si,sn) thermoelectric legs
publisher	MDPI AG
publishDate	2021
url	https://doaj.org/article/8373345f434a4c8687c0d8dcb398651e
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Overcoming Asymmetric Contact Resistances in Al-Contacted Mg<sub>2</sub>(Si,Sn) Thermoelectric Legs

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