Synthesis of Germanium-Gallium-Tellurium (Ge-Ga-Te) Ceramics by Ball-Milling and Sintering

Mathieu Hubert (1) , Elena Petracovschi (1) , Xianghua Zhang (1) , Laurent Calvez (1)

1 ISCR - Institut des Sciences Chimiques de Rennes

In this paper, we present the preparation of a bulk material with a composition of 80GeTe2-20Ga2Te3 by combining mechanosynthesis and sintering. This composition cannot be prepared by conventional melt/quenching technique. The progressive evolution of the powder during ball milling is followed by XRD and DSC analysis. The final powder obtained is highly crystalline but a glass transition temperature is observed, indicating the presence of some amorphous phase remaining, allowing for its efficient sintering. By hot pressing, a dense bulk material with a fine microstructure and a high electrical conductivity is obtained. The synthesis method described represents a simple and cost effective way to produce tellurium-based materials of desired dimension with potential applications for optical storage or thermoelectric devices.

Domains: Chemical Sciences; Material chemistry

Mathieu Hubert, Elena Petracovschi, Xianghua Zhang, Laurent Calvez. Synthesis of Germanium-Gallium-Tellurium (Ge-Ga-Te) Ceramics by Ball-Milling and Sintering. Journal of the American Ceramic Society, 2013, 96 (5), pp.1444-1449. ⟨10.1111/jace.12299⟩. ⟨hal-00858287⟩