Thermoelectric Properties of Lead Telluride Filled Silicone

Lead telluride filled silicone composite was processed into wires under high-voltage electric field using an electrospinning facility. It has been found that the electric field helped to mix the PbTe powder with the silicone rubber matrix in liquid form and the final composite product is aligned into millimeter sized wires. The length of the manufactured wire was about 50 mm in length and 1 mm in diameter. Electrical resistance and Seebeck coefficient of the lead telluride filled silicon matrix composite wires were tested. The electrical property of the thermoelectric lead telluride/silicone composite wire follows the Ohm’s laws. Its resistivity, at the order of 106 ohm*m, is determined by the intrinsic electron conductive behavior. The material exhibits a relatively high Seebeck coefficient. The figure of merit of the composite wire is estimated as 2.8×10-6. Further improvement on the energy conversion efficiency is needed for the material to be used for alternative energy harvesting.