The Effect of Microstructure on the Thermoelectric Properties of Polycrystalline Higher Manganese Silicides

In order to obtain single-phase higher manganese silicides (HMS) and investigate the effect of sintering conditions on the thermoelectric properties of a HMS system, HMS compounds were synthesized using a vacuum induction melting method and sintered using spark plasma sintering (SPS) and hot pressing methods. Single-phase HMS with a small amount of second phases was obtained in all of the HMS samples produced. Changes in the electrical conductivity and Seebeck coefficient of the HMS were observed when the sintering temperature was changed, which can be attributed to the presence of the second phases. Similar changes of thermoelectric properties were observed in both the SPS and hot-pressed samples. However, the electrical conductivity and Seebeck coefficient of HMS samples (SPS-HMS) were higher than those of the hot-pressed samples, which can be attributed to SPS's shorter holding time and its ability to control the diffusion rate. The SPS-HMS sample sintered at 1123 K (1123 K SPS-HMS) had a higher figure of merit than any other sample although the sample had a lower power factor. The high value of the figure of merit of the sample can be attributed to its low thermal conductivity. The highest figure of merit value of 0.41 was measured at 850 K in the 1123 K SPS-HMS, which is comparable to the results reported earlier. The results of the present study can be used to optimize the fabrication process of HMS thermoelectric materials.