Reação de desinserção em SbxCoSb3-x

Abstract

The compound SbxCoSb3-x was produced at high pressures and high temperatures in a self-insertion reaction from the binary skutterudite CoSb3. The self-insertion reaction is characterized by the collapse of Sb atoms to the 2a site, into the cage formed by the Co and Sb atoms in the skutterudite structure. The opposite reaction, i.e., Sb desinsertion, occurs when the SbxCoSb3-x compound is heated at room pressure. This desinsertion reaction was followed by means of differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and electrical resistivity measurements, and its study constitutes the main objective of this work. The CoSb3 sample was synthesized as described in the literature. The synthesis was confirmed by XRD, and the presence of contaminant phases was not observed. Cylindrical samples of the SbxCoSb3-x phase were obtained by submitting CoSb3 at pressures of 7.7 GPa and temperatures up to 550ºC, with the aid of a toroidal high pressure cell available at the Laboratório de Altas Pressões e Materiais Avançados - LAPMA in the Instituto de Física of the Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul - IF/UFRGS. The presence of the SbxCoSb3-x phase was confirmed by XRD analysis. In order to determine the electrical resistivity of samples rich in SbxCoSb3-x phase, a DC system was developed which is applicable to small volume cylindrical samples such as those obtained at high pressures and high temperatures. The calibration of the DC system was made by measurements of the electrical resistivity of reference materials (NIST-SRM 1461 and NIST-SRM 8426). The DSC measurements revealed the presence of two thermal events. An endothermic peak was observed at 118ºC which is not associated to structural changes neither significant variation in the electrical resistivity. The exothermic event that starts at 180ºC is the signature of the desinsertion of Sb atoms from the skutterudite cage, as verified by XRD analysis and electrical measurements. After heating to 350°C, the sample rich in the SbxCoSb3-x phase converts back to the stable phase, CoSb3. The desinsertion reaction follows a first-order kinetics, with a transition enthalpy of approximately 50 J/g and an activation energy of 83 kJ/mol. The electrical resistivity at room temperature of samples rich in SbxCoSb3-x is about ten times smaller than that of CoSb3. This result, along with a possible low thermal conductivity, suggests that SbxCoSb3-x may constitute a high performance thermoelectric material.