TY - JOUR A1 - Bresch, Sophie A1 - Mieller, Björn A1 - Schönauer-Kamin, D. A1 - Moos, R. A1 - Giovanelli, F. A1 - Rabe, Torsten T1 - Influence of pressure assisted sintering and reaction sintering on microstructure and thermoelectric properties of bi-doped and undoped calcium cobaltite N2 - Calcium cobaltite (Ca3Co4O9) is considered as one of the most promising thermoelectric p-type oxides for energy harvesting applications at temperatures above 500 °C. It is challenging to sinter this material as its stability is limited to 920 °C. To facilitate a practicable and scalable production of Ca3Co4O9 for multilayer generators, a systematic study of the influence of powder calcination, Bi-doping, reaction sintering, and pressure-assisted sintering (PAS) on microstructure and thermoelectric properties is presented. Batches of doped, undoped, calcined, and not calcined powders were prepared, tape-cast, and sintered with and without uniaxial pressure at 900 °C. The resulting phase compositions, microstructures and thermoelectric properties were analysed. It is shown that the beneficial effect of Bi-doping observed on pressureless sintered samples cannot be transferred to PAS. Liquid phase formation induces distortions and abnormal grain growth. Although the Seebeck coefficient is increased to 139 µV/K by Bi-doping, the power factor is low due to poor electrical conductivity. The best results were achieved by PAS of calcined powder. The dense and textured microstructure exhibits a high power factor of 326 µW/mK² at 800 °C but adversely high thermal conductivity in the relevant direction. The figure of merit is higher than 0.08 at 700 °C. KW - Ceramics KW - Calcium cobaltite KW - Thermoelectric properties KW - Calcination KW - Pressure-assisted sintering PY - 2019 DO - https://doi.org/10.1063/1.5107476 SN - 0021-8979 VL - 126 IS - 7 SP - 075102-1 EP - 075102-11 PB - AIP Publishing CY - Melville AN - OPUS4-48708 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Bresch, Sophie A1 - Mieller, Björn A1 - Moos, Ralf A1 - Rabe, Torsten T1 - Niedrigsinterndes CaMnO3 für thermoelektrische Anwendungen N2 - Thermoelectric materials can convert waste heat directly into electrical power by utilizing the Seebeck effect. Calcium cobaltite (p-type) and calcium manganate (n-type) are two of the most promising oxide thermoelectric materials. The development of cost-effective multilayer thermoelectric generators requires the co-firing of these materials and therefore the adjustment of sintering temperatures. Calcium manganate is conventionally sintered between 1200 °C and 1350 °C. Calcium cobaltite exhibits an undesired phase transition at 926 °C but can be sintered to high relative density of 95 % at 900 °C under axial pressure of 7.5 MPa. Hence, co-firing at 900 °C would be favourable. Therefore, strategies for lowering the sintering temperature of calcium manganate have been investigated. Basically, two approaches are common: i) addition of low melting additives like Bi2O3-ZnO-B2O3-SiO2 (BBSZ) glass or Bi2O3, and ii) addition of additives that form low-melting eutectics with the base material, for example CuO. In this study, several low melting additives including BBSZ glass and Bi2O3, as well as CuO were tested regarding their effect on calcium manganate densification. Bi2O3 did not improve the densification, whereas BBSZ glass led to 10 % higher relative density at 1200 °C. An addition of 4 wt% CuO decreases the temperature of maximum sinter rate from above 1200 °C to 1040 °C. By reducing the particle size of the raw materials from 2 μm to 0.7 μm the maximum sinter rate could be further shifted 20 K towards lower temperatures and the sinter begin decreased from 920 °C to 740 °C. It is shown that eutectic phase formation is more effective in lowering sintering temperature and accelerating densification than low-melting additives. N2 - Thermoelektrische Materialien können durch die Nutzung des Seebeckeffektes einen Temperaturunterschied direkt in eine Spannung umwandeln. Calciumcobaltit (p-typ) und Calciummanagant (n-typ) sind 2 der vielversprechendsten oxidischen thermoelektrischen Materialien. Für die Entwicklung von kostengünstigen Multilayergeneratoren ist das Co-sintern dieser beiden Materialien notwendig und deshalb eine Anpassung der Sintertemperatur nötig. Calciummangant wird herkömmlicherweise zwischen 1200°C und 1350°C gesintert. Calciumcobaltit erfährt einen ungewünschte Phasenumwandlung bei 926°C, es kann allerding bei 900°C unter 7.5MPa zu 95% dicht gesintert werden. Demzufolge, ist eine Co-sintertemperatur von 900°C anzustreben. Aus diesem Grund wurden mehrere Strategien zur Absenkung der Sintertemperatur von Calciummanaganat untersucht. Zum einen die Zugabe niedrigschmelzender Additive, zum anderen die Zugabe von Additiven, die eine eutektische Schmelze bilden. Es konnte gezeigt werden, dass für Calciummanganat die Verwendung von eutektischen Schmelzen besser geeignet ist als die Verwendung von niedrigschmelzenden Additiven um die Sintertemperatur zu senken.“ T2 - Seminar des Lehrstuhls für Funktionsmaterialien CY - Universität Bayreuth, Bayreuth, Germany DA - 22.06.2018 KW - Thermoelectrics KW - Sinter additive PY - 2018 AN - OPUS4-45281 LA - deu AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Bresch, Sophie A1 - Mieller, Björn A1 - Moos, Ralf A1 - Rabe, Torsten T1 - Improved thermoelectric properties of CaMnO3 and Ca3Co4O9 by increasing the driving force for sintering N2 - Thermoelectric materials can convert waste heat directly into electrical power by utilizing the Seebeck effect. Calcium cobaltite (Ca3Co4O9, p-type) and calcium manganate (CaMnO3, n-type) are two of the most promising oxide thermoelectric materials. The performance of these materials is evaluated by the power factor PF = S²∙σ and the figure of merit ZT = (PF ∙ T) / κ, demanding high Seebeck coefficient S, high electrical conductivity σ and low thermal conductivity κ. The latter two are increasing with increasing relative sinter density. According to theory, the relative density of ceramics can be improved by increasing the driving force for sintering. This study investigates different approaches to increase the driving force for sintering of Ca3Co4O9 and CaMnO3 to improve densities and thermoelectric properties. The following approaches were applied: minimizing the energy input during powder synthesis by calcination, fine milling of the powder, using reaction-sintering without a powder synthesis step, and adding a transient liquid phase by sinter additives. All different approaches led to an increased densification and thus higher electrical conductivity and higher PF. Thermal conductivity increased as well but not to the same extent. E.g. reaction-sintering increased the densification of Ca3Co4O9 (p-type) and CaMnO3 (n-type). Consequently, the electrical conductivities improved by about 100 % for both oxides leading to superior power factors (PF = 230 µW/mK² for CaMnO3). Although the thermal conductivity increased as well by 8 %, the figures of merit (ZT) were significantly higher compared to conventionally sintered bars. The addition of 4 wt% CuO as a sinter additive to CaMnO3 lowers the sinter temperature from above 1250 °C to below 1100 °C and increases the relative density. Due to the increased density, both electrical conductivity and PF increased by more than 200 % even though the sintering temperature was 150 K lower. T2 - Electroceramics XVII CY - Online meeting DA - 24.08.2020 KW - Thermoelectrics KW - Reaction sintering KW - Sintering additives PY - 2020 AN - OPUS4-51163 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Paulus, Daniel A1 - Bresch, Sophie A1 - Moos, Ralf A1 - Schönauer-Kamin, Daniela T1 - Powder aerosol deposited calcium cobaltite as textured P-type thermoelectric material with power factors approaching single crystal values N2 - In this work, the thermoelectric material calcium cobaltite Ca3Co4O9 (CCO), a promising p-type conducting thermoelectric oxide with anisotropic properties, was processed by the powder aerosol deposition method (PAD) to form a dense ceramic CCO film with a thickness in the µm range. The prepared films were characterized regarding their microstructure and thermoelectric properties between room temperature and 900 °C. After heat treatment at 900 °C, the CCO PAD film in-plane shows excellent properties in terms of electrical conductivity (280 S/cm at 900 °C) and Seebeck coefficient (220 µV/K at 900 °C). The calculated power factor in-plane (ab) reaches with 1125 µW/(m K2) 40 % of the single crystal value, surpassing the known-properties of CCO bulk ceramics. Examination of the microstructure shows a strong fiber texture of the film as well as a strong coarsening of the grains during the first heat treatment up to 900 °C. KW - thermoelectrics KW - calcium cobaltite KW - thermoelectric oxide KW - aerosol deposition method (ADM) PY - 2024 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-606246 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeurceramsoc.2024.116717 SN - 0955-2219 VL - 44 IS - 15 SP - 1 EP - 8 PB - Elsevier BV AN - OPUS4-60624 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Bresch, Sophie A1 - Stargardt, Patrick A1 - Moos, Ralf A1 - Mieller, Björn T1 - Co‐Fired Multilayer Thermoelectric Generators Based on Textured Calcium Cobaltite N2 - Thermoelectric generators are very attractive devices for waste heat energy harvesting as they transform a temperature difference into electrical power. However, commercially available generators show poor power density and limited operation temperatures. Research focuses on high‐temperature materials and innovative generator designs. Finding the optimal design for a given material system is challenging. Here, a theoretical framework is provided that allows appropriate generator design selection based on the particular material properties. For high‐temperature thermoelectric oxides, it can be clearly deduced that unileg multilayer generators have the highest potential for effective energy harvesting. Based on these considerations, prototype unileg multilayer generators from the currently best thermoelectric oxide Ca3Co4O9 are manufactured for the first time by industrially established ceramic multilayer technology. These generators exhibit a power density of 2.2 mW/cm² at a temperature difference of 260 K, matching simulated values and confirming the suitability of the technology. Further design improvements increase the power density by a factor of 22 to facilitate practicable power output at temperature differences as low as 7 K. This work demonstrates that reasonable energy harvesting at elevated temperatures is possible with oxide materials and appropriate multilayer design. KW - Optical and Magnetic Materials KW - Electronic PY - 2023 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-596306 DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/aelm.202300636 SN - 2199-160X VL - 10 IS - 3 SP - 1 EP - 12 PB - Wiley VHC-Verlag AN - OPUS4-59630 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Stargardt, Patrick A1 - Bresch, Sophie A1 - Falkenberg, Rainer A1 - Mieller, Björn T1 - Effect of Reaction Layers on Internal Stresses in Co‐Fired Multilayers of Calcium Manganate and Calcium Cobaltite N2 - A widespread recovery of waste heat requires a cost‐effective production of thermoelectric generators. Thermoelectric oxides are predestined for use at high temperatures. For manufacturing reasons, a multilayer generator design will be easily scalable and cost‐effective. To evaluate the potential of ceramic multilayer technology for that purpose, a multilayer of the promising thermoelectric oxides calcium cobaltite (Ca3Co4O9), calcium manganate (CMO, CaMnO3), and glass–ceramic insulation layers is fabricated. Cracks and reaction layers at the interfaces are observed in the microstructure. The compositions of these reaction layers are identified by energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy and X‐ray diffraction. Mechanical and thermal properties of all layers are compiled from literature or determined by purposeful sample preparation and testing. Based on this data set, the internal stresses in the multilayer after co‐firing are calculated numerically. It is shown that tensile stresses in the range of 50 MPa occur in the CMO layers. The reaction layers have only a minor influence on the level of these residual stresses. Herein, it is proven that the material system is basically suitable for multilayer generator production, but that the co‐firing process and the layer structure must be adapted to improve densification and reduce the tensile stresses in the CMO. KW - Ceramic multilayers KW - Co-firings KW - Internal stresses PY - 2024 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-601626 DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/pssa.202300956 SP - 1 EP - 9 PB - Wiley VHC-Verlag AN - OPUS4-60162 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Bresch, Sophie A1 - Mieller, Björn A1 - Moos, R. A1 - Rabe, Torsten T1 - Lowering the sintering temperature of calcium manganate for thermoelectric applications N2 - This study combines three different approaches to lower the sintering temperature of Sm-doped CaMnO3 to save energy in production and facilitate co-firing with other low-firing oxides or metallization. The surface energy of the powder was increased by fine milling, sintering kinetics were enhanced by additives, and uniaxial pressure during sintering was applied. The shrinkage, density, microstructure, and thermoelectric properties were evaluated. Compared to micro-sized powder, the use of finely ground powder allows us to lower the sintering temperature by 150 K without reduction of the power factor. By screening the effect of various common additives on linear shrinkage of CaMnO3 after sintering at 1100 ○C for 2 h, CuO is identified as the most effective additive. Densification at sintering temperatures below 1000 ○C can be significantly increased by pressure-assisted sintering. The power factor at room temperature of CaMnO3 nano-powder sintered at 1250 ○C was 445 μW/(m K2). Sintering at 1100 ○C reduced the power factor to 130 μW/(m K2) for CaMnO3 nano-powder, while addition of 4 wt.% CuO to the same powder led to ∼290 μW/(m K2). The combination of fine milling, CuO addition, and pressureassisted sintering at 950 ○C resulted in a power factor of ∼130 μW/(m K2). These results show that nano-sized powder and CuO addition are successful and recommendable strategies to produce CaMnO3 with competitive properties at significantly reduced temperatures and dwell times. KW - Sintering additive KW - Liquid phase sintering KW - Pressure assisted sintering PY - 2022 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-555467 DO - https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0098015 SN - 2158-3226 VL - 12 IS - 8 SP - 1 EP - 9 PB - American Institute of Physics (AIP) CY - New York, NY AN - OPUS4-55546 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Bresch, Sophie A1 - Höhne, Patrick A1 - Koppert, R. A1 - Mieller, Björn T1 - Thin-film capability of commercial LTCC N2 - Low-temperature co-fired ceramics (LTCC) are used to fabricate multilayer circuits which are robust in harsh environments. Thick-film technology is well established for the metallization of circuit boards and microsystems. For specific sensor applications, the combination of LTCC and thin-film technology is advantageous to reach higher structure resolutions. Due to the high roughness of as-fired LTCC surfaces compared with silicon-wafers, the deposition of low-defect- films with narrowly specified properties is challenging. The deposited thin-films are structured either by lift-off or by etching. The latter is less error-prone and thus preferred in industry provided the selected materials allow it. There is spare literature about thin films on commercial LTCC comparing different material systems or sintering techniques. For developing thin-film sensors on multilayer circuits it is crucial to identify thin-film-compatible commercial LTCC material as well as the crucial surface properties. In this work we evaluate the thin-film capability of different LTCC compositions and surface qualities. To evaluate the influence of the material composition on the thin film capability, 200 nm Ni-thin films were deposited on three different constrained-sintered LTCC (CT708, CT800 and DP951) by electron beam physical vapour deposition. The effect of surface quality was assessed by thin-film deposition on free-sintered, pressure-assisted sintered, and polished DP951. The thin-films were structured by covering corresponding sections with a UV-curable photo resin and subsequent etching of the uncovered surface, leaving behind the desired structure. The etched Ni-thin films showed high difference in failure rate and sheet resistance regarding the used LTCC-material. DP951 had the lowest sheet resistance and no failure, whereas CT800 had a high sheet resistance and a failure rate of 40 %. These results are correlated with surface roughness of the LTCC, scanning electron micrographs of the deposited thin-films, and the chemical resistance of the LTCC against commonly used etching media. Contrary to the expectations, no correlation between roughness and thin-film capability was found. The LTCC with high failure rate showed a strong chemical attack by the used etching medium. Additionally, the adhesion of thin-films on DP951 is better than on CT708 and CT800. T2 - XVIII EcerS Conference & Exhibition CY - Lyon, France DA - 02.07.2023 KW - Glass-ceramics KW - Etching KW - Resistance PY - 2023 AN - OPUS4-58019 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Bresch, Sophie A1 - Höhne, Patrick A1 - Mieller, Björn A1 - Koppert, Ralf A1 - Rabe, Torsten T1 - Commercial LTCC for thin film deposition N2 - Low-temperature co-fired ceramics (LTCC) are used to fabricate multilayer circuits which are robust in harsh environments. Thick-film technology is well established for the metallization of circuit boards and microsystems. For specific sensor applications, the combination of LTCC and thin-film technology is advantageous to reach higher structure resolutions. Due to the high roughness of as-fired LTCC surfaces compared with silicon-wafers, the deposition of low-defect- films with narrowly specified properties is challenging. There is spare literature about thin films on commercial LTCC comparing different material systems or sintering techniques. For developing thin film sensors on multilayer circuits it is crucial to identify thin-film-compatible commercial LTCC material as well as the crucial surface properties. In this work we evaluate the thin-film capability of different LTCC surfaces. The as-fired surfaces of free-sintered, constrained-sintered (sacrificial tape), and pressure-assisted sintered commercial LTCCs (DP951, CT708, CT800), as well as respective polished surfaces, were analyzed by tactile and optical roughness measurements and scanning electron microscopy. The thin-film capability of the LTCC surfaces was assessed by sheet resistance and temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR) of deposited Ni thin-film layers. Contrary to the expectations, no correlation between roughness and thin-film capability was found. Ni thin films on constrained sintered DP951 show the lowest sheet resistance and highest TCR within the experimental framework of the as-fired surfaces. The influence of surface morphology on the film properties is discussed. T2 - KERAMIK 2022 / 97. DKG-Jahrestagung CY - Online meeting DA - 7.3.2022 KW - Roughness KW - Hydrogen sensor KW - LTCC PY - 2022 AN - OPUS4-54436 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Bresch, Sophie A1 - Höhne, Patrick A1 - Lindemann, Franziska A1 - Koppert, Ralf A1 - Mieller, Björn T1 - Chemical resistance of commercial LTCC against thin film etching media N2 - Low-temperature co-fired ceramics (LTCC) are used to fabricate robust multilayer circuits. Typically, thick-film technology is applied for metallization. For specific sensor applications, thin films are deposited directly on the as-fired LTCC-surface. These deposited thin films are structured either by lift-off or by etching. The latter is less error-prone and thus preferred in industry provided the selected materials allow it. 200 nm Ni-thin films were deposited on three different commercial constrained-sintered LTCC (CT708, CT800 and DP951) by electron beam physical vapour deposition. The thin-films were structured by covering corresponding sections with a UV-curable photo resisn and subsequent etching of the uncovered surface, leaving behind the desired structure. The etched Ni-thin film showed high difference in failure rate and sheet resistance regarding the used LTCC-material. DP951 had the lowest sheet resistance and no failure, whereas the CT800 had a failure rate of 40 %. The LTCC with high failure rate showed a strong chemical attack by the used etching medium. To address this phenomenon, the chemical resistance of the three different commercial LTCC (CT708, CT800 and DP951) against four different commonly used etching media (sulphuric acid, phosphoric acid, aqua regia, and hydrofluoric acid) is investigated. The dissolved ions are analyzed by ICP-OES to correlate the LTCC-composition and its chemical resistance. T2 - KERAMIK 2023 / 98. DKG-Jahrestagung CY - Jena, Germany DA - 27.03.2023 KW - Glass-ceramics KW - Hydrogen sensors KW - Acids PY - 2023 AN - OPUS4-57273 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -