Enhancing power generation sustainability of thermoelectric pillars by suppressing diffusion at Bi-Sb-Te/Sn electrode interface using crystalline Co-P coatings

Bismuth telluride-based thermoelectric (TE) devices were widely used in waste heat recovery due to their high thermoelectric figure of merit (ZT), but the severe diffusion between Sn-based solder and TE pillar generated porous and brittle Sn-Te intermetallic compound (IMC), which seriously restricted the reliable service of devices. Ni-based coating was used but the thick Ni-Te IMC also impaired the properties of TE pillars. In this work, the crystalline Co-P coating was inserted between the p-type TE material Bi0.5Sb1.5Te3 and the solder by electrodeposition, and the power generation sustainability of the TE pillar were significantly improved, and the mechanism was revealed. The microstructural characterization proved that the Co-P coating could effectively resist the diffusion of active Sn, Bi, Sb, Cu atoms. Co-P coating would provide support for the structural integrity and performance sustainability of TE pillars. It was worth noting that an ultrathin CoTe2 IMC layer was formed between the Co-P coating and the Bi-Sb-Te pillar, which was much thinner than the Ni-Te IMC layer reported in the literature. This indicated that Co-P only consumed little thermoelectric elements, but also a good metallurgical bond was formed between the Co-P and the Bi-Sb-Te. After aging at 423 K for 150 h, the maximum output power and average Seebeck coefficient of the TE pillar without coating dropped significantly by 74% and 34%, respectively, and the internal resistance rose by 67%. Remarkably, the maximum output power and average Seebeck coefficient of the TE pillar protected by the Co-P coating only decreased by 14% and 5%, respectively, and the internal resistance only increased by 6%.