A Powder-Metallurgical Route to Ag2(Te,S) Compounds and Their Thermoelectric Properties

Silver chalcogenides have attracted considerable attention as promising materials for wearable power generation because they combine mechanical ductility with favorable thermoelectric properties. However, most reported synthesis methods rely on high-temperature melting and annealing, which offer limited microstructural control and therefore restrict opportunities for further performance improvement. In this study, Ag2S0.4Te0.6 compounds were synthesized through a powder-metallurgical route that combined mechanical alloying with rapid densification by spark plasma sintering. Ball milling produced amorphized microscale powders, which were successfully consolidated at different sintering temperatures. The sample sintered at 600 °C exhibited the highest power factor, mainly because of its optimized electrical transport properties, and achieved zT values of approximately 0.32 near room temperature and approximately 0.50 at 473 K. These results indicate that powder-metallurgical processing is a viable strategy for tailoring transport properties and improving the thermoelectric performance of silver chalcogenide materials for wearable applications.