Meso-Co0.97Pd0.03Sb3 composites were synthesized with grain sizes 220 nm.
Meso Co0.94Ni0.06Sb3 composites were synthesized with grain sizes 170 nm.
The lattice thermal conductivity is reduced by nearly 50%.
A value of 110 nm can be estimated for the phonon mean free path in both compounds.
The figure of merit is improved by 12% (ZT = 0.7) in meso-Co0.94Ni0.06Sb3.