{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,10]],"date-time":"2026-01-10T22:52:57Z","timestamp":1768085577303,"version":"3.49.0"},"reference-count":57,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"19","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2022,9,27]],"date-time":"2022-09-27T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1664236800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100001871","name":"Funda\u00e7\u00e3o para a Ci\u00eancia e a Tecnologia (FCT), Portugal","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["UID\/Multi\/04349\/2020"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["UID\/Multi\/04349\/2020"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100001871","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100001871","name":"Funda\u00e7\u00e3o para a Ci\u00eancia e a Tecnologia (FCT), Portugal","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["UI\/BD\/150713\/2020"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["UI\/BD\/150713\/2020"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100001871","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Materials"],"abstract":"<jats:p>High electrical and thermal contact resistances can ruin a thermoelectric device\u2019s performance, and thus, the use of effective diffusion barriers and optimization of joining methods are crucial to implement them. In this work, the use of carbon as a Cu11Mn1Sb4S13 tetrahedrite diffusion barrier, and the effectiveness of different fixation techniques for the preparation of tetrahedrite\/copper electrical contacts were investigated. Contacts were prepared using as jointing materials Ni and Ag conductive paints and resins, and a Zn-5wt% Al solder. Manual, cold- and hot-pressing fixation techniques were explored. The contact resistance was measured using a custom-made system based on the three points pulsed-current method. The legs interfaces (Cu\/graphite\/tetrahedrite) were investigated by optical and scanning electron microscopies, complemented with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction. No interfacial phases were formed between the graphite and the tetrahedrite or Cu, pointing to graphite as a good diffusion barrier. Ag water-based paint was the best jointing material, but the use of hot pressing without jointing materials proves to be the most reliable technique, presenting the lowest contact resistance values. Computer simulations using the COMSOL software were performed to complement this study, indicating that high contact resistances strongly reduce the power output of thermoelectric devices.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ma15196698","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2022,9,28]],"date-time":"2022-09-28T01:51:49Z","timestamp":1664329909000},"page":"6698","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":3,"title":["An Electrical Contacts Study for Tetrahedrite-Based Thermoelectric Generators"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"15","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8353-538X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Rodrigo","family":"Coelho","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"C2TN, DECN, Instituto Superior T\u00e9cnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Campus Tecnol\u00f3gico e Nuclear, 2695-066 Bobadela, Portugal"}]},{"given":"Yassine","family":"De Abreu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"CESI, Campus D\u2019enseignement Sup\u00e9rieur et de Formation Professionnelle, 15C Av. Albert Einstein, 69100 Villeurbanne, France"}]},{"given":"Francisco","family":"Carvalho","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"DEEC, Instituto Superior T\u00e9cnico, Universidade de Lisboa, 1049-001 Lisboa, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1855-7758","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Elsa","family":"Branco Lopes","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"C2TN, DECN, Instituto Superior T\u00e9cnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Campus Tecnol\u00f3gico e Nuclear, 2695-066 Bobadela, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2640-3038","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ant\u00f3nio Pereira","family":"Gon\u00e7alves","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"C2TN, DECN, Instituto Superior T\u00e9cnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Campus Tecnol\u00f3gico e Nuclear, 2695-066 Bobadela, Portugal"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2022,9,27]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","first-page":"1","article-title":"Thermoelectrics: Power from waste heat Thermoelectric generators supply","volume":"1","author":"Altstedde","year":"2016","journal-title":"BINE-Themeninfo I"},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2880","DOI":"10.1007\/s11664-018-6141-9","article-title":"Bertrand Lenoir Oxidation studies of Cu12Sb3.9Bi0.1S10Se3 tetrahedrite","volume":"47","author":"Lopes","year":"2018","journal-title":"Electron. 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