Thermoelectric properties of bulk MoSi2 synthesized by solid state microwave heating

In this research, single phase alpha-MoSi2 was prepared by solid state hybrid microwave heating within 90 min at relatively low temperature 1273 K. Such precursor powders were then ball milled and sintered by microwave heating at different temperatures. The thermoelectric (TE) properties of MoSi2 bulks were investigated in the temperature range of 300-673 K. When the sintering temperature increases from 973 K to 1273 K, the electrical resistivity decreases significantly and the Seebeck coefficients increase obviously, leading to the maximum TE powder factor of 6.2 x 10(-6) Wm(-1)K(-2) at 673 K. These results demonstrate the feasibility of high efficient and economical synthesis of MoSi2 by microwave heating technique, with the final products having comparable TE performance in comparison to those from typical methods with long duration and energy extensive consumption.