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Xie et al. Energy Mater. 2025, 5, 500127 Energy Materials
DOI: 10.20517/energymater.2025.48

Article Open Access

High-performance Bi-Sb-Te thermoelectric materials

synthesized via melt spinning and spark plasma
sintering for energy harvesting applications

Yu-Kun Xie, Settu Ramki, Hsiao-ping Hsu, Chung-Wen Lan *

Crystal Growth Lab, Department of Chemical Engineering, National Taiwan University, Taipei City 10617, Taiwan.
*Correspondence to: Dr. Chung-Wen Lan, Crystal Growth Lab, Department of Chemical Engineering, National Taiwan University,
Da’an District, Taipei City 10617, Taiwan. E-mail:cwlan@ntu.edu.tw
How to cite this article: Xie, Y. K.; Ramki, S.; Hsu, H. p.; Lan, C. W. High-performance Bi-Sb-Te thermoelectric materials
synthesized via melt spinning and spark plasma sintering for energy harvesting applications. Energy Mater. 2025, 5, 500127.
https://dx.doi.org/10.20517/energymater.2025.48

Received: 27 Feb 2025 First Decision: 18 Apr 2025 Revised: 1 May 2025 Accepted: 9 May 2025 Published: 26 Jun 2025
Academic Editors: Sining Yun, Sung Son Jae Copy Editor: Fangling Lan Production Editor: Fangling Lan

Abstract
Bi Te -based materials remain among the most promising thermoelectric candidates for applications in the
2
3
temperature range of 300-400 K, owing to their high electrical conductivity, low thermal conductivity, chemical
stability, and compatibility with scalable fabrication methods. However, conventional crystal growth techniques
often lead to elemental segregation and compositional inhomogeneity. In this study, a rapid solidification approach
using melt spinning was employed to mitigate segregation, yielding compositionally uniform Bi Te -based powders
2
3
with particle sizes below 30 μm and nanometer-scale grain structures. The fabrication process - integrating
planetary ball milling, annealing, melt spinning, and spark plasma sintering - significantly enhanced phonon
scattering, thereby reducing thermal conductivity and improving overall material homogeneity. By systematically
adjusting the tellurium content in Bi Sb Te , the composition with x = 0.15 was identified as optimal, achieving a
0.5
1.5
3-x
peak dimensionless figure of merit (ZT) of 1.18 at 360 K.
Keywords: Bismuth telluride, high-temperature silicon-based materials, low-temperature Bi Te , Bi Sb Te
3
2
0.5
3-x
1.5
(x = 0.15), melt-spinning
INTRODUCTION
Thermoelectric materials, capable of converting heat into electricity and vice versa, have become essential in

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