Abstract
The work presented in this paper addresses some of the challenges of manufacturing thermoelectric (TE) generators by thermal spraying. One of the main obstacles is achieving good coat-on-coat bonding between different types of materials. The coatings must also be mechanically stable and optimized for their respective function. At least four types of materials are required, including electrical insulators, conductors, and thermoelectrically active p- and n-type semiconductors. Four ceramic and three metal feedstock powers were deposited by APS, HVOF, and HVAF spraying using special masking systems, substrate pretreatments, and layer thickness monitoring. After process optimization for each material, multilayer TE generator modules were successfully produced.
