Abstract The conventional synthesis and forming process methods of commercialized thermoelectric materials and thermoelectric devices are energy and time consuming. Fortunately, advanced 3D printing techniques enable simplification for the rapid fabrication of thermoelectric materials. Herein, we report a new synthesis method of Sb2Te3 by selective laser melting (SLM) printing technique. A mixture of individual elemental powder of Sb and Te serves as starting materials for the SLM process. The effect of the high laser energy density on the synthesized Sb2Te3 structure and thermoelectric performance is also investigated, and the optimal process parameters are determined. The phase transition process for the Sb/Te powder during SLM is imitated by performing a thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) simultaneously. The power factor of the ingot prepared by SLM increases up to 19 μW/(cm K2) at 50 °C. These results indicate that SLM can effectively produce Sb2Te3-based materials. This work opens a new route for the design and synthesis of thermoelectric materials and corresponding devices.

中文翻译：

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使用选择性激光熔化 3D 打印快速合成热电 Sb2Te3 锭

摘要 商业化热电材料和热电器件的常规合成和成型工艺方法既耗能又耗时。幸运的是，先进的 3D 打印技术可以简化热电材料的快速制造。在此，我们报告了一种通过选择性激光熔化 (SLM) 印刷技术合成 Sb2Te3 的新方法。Sb 和 Te 的单个元素粉末的混合物用作 SLM 工艺的起始材料。还研究了高激光能量密度对合成的 Sb2Te3 结构和热电性能的影响，并确定了最佳工艺参数。通过同时进行热重分析 (TGA) 来模拟 SLM 期间 Sb/Te 粉末的相变过程。SLM 制备的铸锭的功率因数在 50 °C 时增加到 19 μW/(cm K2)。这些结果表明 SLM 可以有效地生产 Sb2Te3 基材料。这项工作为热电材料及相应器件的设计和合成开辟了新途径。