Methods for Enhancing the Thermal Durability of High-Temperature Thermoelectric Materials

Author's version of an article in the journal: Journal of Electronic Materials. Also available from the publisher at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11664-013-2917-0 Thermoelectric materials, for example skutterudites and magnesium silicides, are being investigated as promising materials for medium-to-high-temperature waste heat recovery in transport and in industry. A crucial aspect of the success of a thermoelectric material is its stability over time when exposed to rapid heating and cooling. In this work different aspects of the degradation of these thermoelectric materials at high temperature were examined. Initial thermal durability was studied, and several candidate coatings were evaluat…