Temperature dependence of thermoelectric properties of SiC/B4C

We report on the temperature dependence of thermoelectric properties of p-type SiC/B4C system for thermoelectric devices. Measurements of electrical resistivity, thermoelectric power and thermal conductivity were made on SiC as a function of both B4C doping concentration over the range 0.2%∼60 wt. % and temperature over the range from room temperature up to 600 degree C. The figure of merit increases from 2 to 5 decades with temperature increase from room temperature to 600 degree C. We conclude that the SiC/B4C system with around 10% of B4C is a promising candidate for thermoelectric applications in the temperature range 400∼600 degree C. copyright 1995 American Institute of Physics