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Optimization of the thermopower of antimony telluride thin film by introducing tellurium nanoparticles

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Abstract

Antimony telluride (Sb2Te3) is one of the best thermoelectric materials at room temperature. Low dimension has the potential to improve the material thermoelectric properties. Herein, we demonstrate experimental evidence of the positive influence of tellurium (Te) nanoparticles on thermopower of Sb2Te3 thin film. Sb2Te3 films with Te nanoparticles are prepared by alternate growth of Sb2Te3 layers and Te layers. When the single Te layer thickness is 1 nm, Te nanoparticle diameter is about 5 nm and areal density is approximately 160 µm−2, the Seebeck coefficient increases by ~25 %, thermoelectric power factor by ~50 %, and thermal conductivity decreases by ~26 % compared with Te layer free Sb2Te3 film without Te nanoparticles. The enhancement of thermoelectric thermopower could be attributed to carrier energy filtering effect induced by Te–Sb2Te3 nanocrystal boundary, and the thermal conductivity reduction may be ascribed to enhance phonon scattering by Te nanoparticles. The results show the Te nanoparticles have the ability to improve Sb2Te3 material thermoelectric properties.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by Shanghai Science and Technology Funds (10520710400, 10PJ1403800, 11DZ1111200), Yunnan Provincial Science and Technology Department (2010AD003), National Natural Science Foundation of China (21103104), Innovation Foundation of Shanghai University, and the Special Fund for Selection and Cultivation Excellent Youth in the University of Shanghai city. The authors gratefully acknowledge the Instrumental Analysis Research Centre of Shanghai University for helping in XRD and TEM experiment.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shanghai University, Shanghai, 200072, China

    Ziqiang Zhang, Haiming Zhang & Zhiyu Hu

  2. Department of Physics, Shanghai University, Shanghai, 200444, China

    Yigui Wu, Zhigang Zeng & Zhiyu Hu

  3. Institute of NanoMicroEnergy, Shanghai University, Shanghai, 200444, China

    Ziqiang Zhang, Haiming Zhang, Yigui Wu, Zhigang Zeng & Zhiyu Hu

  4. Department of Chemistry, Shanghai University, Shanghai, 200444, China

    Zhiyu Hu

  5. Research Institute of Micro/Nano Science Technology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, China

    Zhiyu Hu

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  1. Ziqiang Zhang
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Correspondence to Zhiyu Hu.

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Zhang, Z., Zhang, H., Wu, Y. et al. Optimization of the thermopower of antimony telluride thin film by introducing tellurium nanoparticles. Appl. Phys. A 118, 1043–1051 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00339-014-8871-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00339-014-8871-8

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