Invited article: A round robin test of the uncertainty on the measurement of the thermoelectric dimensionless figure of merit of Co0.97Ni0.03Sb3.

A round robin test aiming at measuring the high-temperature thermoelectric properties was carried out by a group of European (mainly French) laboratories (labs). Polycrystalline skutterudite Co0.97Ni0.03Sb3 was characterized by Seebeck coefficient (8 labs), electrical resistivity (9 labs), thermal diffusivity (6 labs), mass volume density (6 labs), and specific heat (6 labs) measurements. These data were statistically processed to determine the uncertainty on all these measured quantities as a function of temperature and combined to obtain an overall uncertainty on the thermal conductivity (product of thermal diffusivity by density and by specific heat) and on the thermoelectric figure of merit ZT. An increase with temperature of all these uncertainties is observed, in agreement with growing difficulties to measure these quantities when temperature increases. The uncertainties on the electrical resistivity and thermal diffusivity are most likely dominated by the uncertainty on the sample dimensions. The temperature-averaged (300-700 K) relative standard uncertainties at the confidence level of 68% amount to 6%, 8%, 11%, and 19% for the Seebeck coefficient, electrical resistivity, thermal conductivity, and figure of merit ZT, respectively. Thermal conductivity measurements appear as the least accurate. The moderate value of the temperature-averaged relative expanded (confidence level of 95%) uncertainty of 17% on the mean of ZT is essential in establishing Co0.97Ni0.03Sb3 as a high temperature standard n-type thermoelectric material.

Measurement system of the Seebeck coefficient or of the electrical resistivity at high temperature.

A high temperature Seebeck coefficient or electrical resistivity apparatus has been designed and fabricated to measure sample with typical size ~10 × 1 × 1 mm(3). It can measure both transport properties from 300 K to 1000 K in argon atmosphere. The sample lies transversely on top of two metallic half-cylinders, which contain heating cartridges and allow temperature and thermal gradient control and reversal. The temperature gradient is measured by two type N thermocouples pressed against the upper surface of the sample. The key feature of this apparatus is the disk-shaped junction of each type N thermocouple which strongly improves the thermal contact with the sample. The Seebeck coefficient is obtained by averaging over two measured values with opposite thermal gradient directions (~±2 K). For the resistivity measurements, the temperature is stabilized and the temperature gradient is actively reduced below 0.2 K to make negligible any spurious thermal voltage. Uncertainties of ~3% for the Seebeck coefficient and 1% for the resistivity were obtained on Ni samples. The Seebeck coefficient and resistivity have also been measured on a skutterudite sample as small as ~7 × 1.5 × 0.5 mm(3) with very good agreement with literature.

[Tumoral calcinosis in a white woman. Apropos of a case]. / Calcinose tumorale chez une femme blanche. A propos d'une observation.

A new of tumoral calcinosis is described in a 91 years old woman. It is a rare condition that affect almost always black subjects. This benign disease is characterised by progressive increase of subcutaneous calcified masses near larger joints. Only four cases were yet reported in a white female.