Thermoelectric, mechanical and electrochemical properties of pure single-phase FeSb

Abstract

This study primarily focused on forming pure single-phase FeSb and explored its thermoelectric, mechanical, and electrochemical properties since no reports are available. The FeSb binary alloy has been synthesized through the vacuum melting method, and the phase formation has been confirmed through powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD). The PXRD results show that the synthesized FeSb binary alloy belongs to the hexagonal crystal structure with space group P63/mmc, which coincides with ICSD no. 53971. The pure single phase has been formed by creating a deficiency of 10 % in antimony. The High-Resolution Scanning Electron Microscopy (HR-SEM) and Energy Dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis have been used to identify the pure single-phase and various elemental components of the hot-pressed pellet of FeSb0.9. The atomic wt.% of iron (Fe) and antimony (Sb) have been identified through EDX spectral analysis. The highest Seebeck coefficient value of −5.4 μV/K is achieved at 497 K, and the lowest electrical conductivity value of 24049 S/m is achieved at 447 K. The hardness of the material is found to be 6.076 GPa, which is much more sufficient for thermoelectric material during industrial handling. The magnetic characteristics of the prepared pure phase FeSb compound have also been measured by Vibrating Scanning Magnetometer (VSM) analysis, which has a weak ferromagnetic nature. Furthermore, three electrodes were employed to study the electrochemical properties, and the alloy has attained the appreciable specific capacitance of 169.5 F/g at 2 A/g.