Combustion Synthesis of Doped Thermoelectric Oxides...

Self-propagating high-temperature synthesis (SHS) was used to prepare silver doped calcium cobaltates (Ca1.24-
xAgxCo1.62O3.86, x = 0.03 - 0.12) powders. SHS is a simple and economic process to synthesize ceramic
materials with minimum energy requirements. The heat generated by the SHS reaction can sustain the
propagation of the reaction front and convert reactants to desired products. The effect of doping level on
thermoelectric properties was investigated in this study. Results show the substitution of calcium by silver decreases the thermal conductivity significantly. XRD and surface area measurements show synthesized powders are phase pure and have large specific surface areas.