NANOSTRUCTURED COPPER-SELENIDE (CU2SE) WITH HIGH THERMOELECTRIC FIGURE-OF-MERIT AND PROCESS FOR THE PREPARATION THEREOF

摘要

Present invention provides nanostructured p-type copper-selenide (CuzSe) as a costeffective thermoelectric material with a high thermoelectric figure-of-merit. The nanostructured Cu2Se claimed in this invention is a cost-effective p-type thermoelectric material having a high figure-of-merit of 2 at 973 K and is synthesized employing high energy ball milling process followed by reaction sintering under pressure at high heating rates using spark plasma sintering of the resulting nanopowders. The sintered Cu2Se shows a density of 99.9% of theoretical density and retains the nanoscale features introduced during ball milling leading to a thermoelectric figure of merit of 2 at 973 K.