Ultra‐Fast One‐Step Fabrication of Cu₂Se Thermoelectric Legs With Ni–Al Electrodes by Plasma‐Activated Reactive Sintering Technique

In this study, a novel ultra‐fast method is developed to fabricate thermoelectric (TE) legs and electrodes from raw elemental materials in just one‐step plasma‐activated reactive sintering (PARS) process. We have demonstrated this approach with TE legs made of Cu₂Se and the Ni–Al multiphase composite electrode. The obtained Cu₂Se material shows a maximum ZT value of 0.9 at 773 K. The lowest specific interfacial resistivity of the as‐prepared Cu₂Se/electrode junction is about 30 mΩ cm² at room temperature. The interfacial bonding strength is about 10 MPa. This method shows great prospects for large‐scale, low‐cost, and rapid fabrication of thermoelectric modules.