ABSTRACT
This chapter describes some fundamental mechanical properties and summarizes the mechanical properties of commonly used thermoelectric (TE) materials. It highlights the effect of microstructure, and hence, of processing, on mechanical and TE behavior and discusses toughening mechanisms for the improvement of mechanical strength. A typical TE module consists of n- and p-type semiconducting TE legs connected electrically in series and thermally in parallel. The module also includes a substrate soldered to an electrical interconnect, which is soldered to the TE leg. The long-term stability of TE materials must be investigated. Both cyclic and noncyclic temperature gradients may result in microstructural changes such as grain growth, annealing of vacancies and dislocations, and diffusion and may affect the stability of different phases in multiphase TE materials. This chapter highlights the effect of microstructure, and hence, of processing, on mechanical and TE behavior and discusses toughening mechanisms for the improvement of mechanical strength.
