All-Inorganic Nanocrystals as a Glue for BiSbTe Grains: Design of Interfaces in Mesostructured Thermoelectric Materials

Nano‐ and mesostructuring is widely used in thermoelectric (TE) materials. It introduces numerous interfaces and grain boundaries that scatter phonons and decrease thermal conductivity. A new approach has been developed for the rational design of the interfaces in TE materials by using all‐inorganic...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Angewandte Chemie International Edition 2014-07, Vol.53 (29), p.7466-7470
Main Authors: Son, Jae Sung, Zhang, Hao, Jang, Jaeyoung, Poudel, Bed, Waring, Al, Nally, Luke, Talapin, Dmitri V.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Alloys
bismuth
Capping
Glues
Grain boundaries
Grains
Heat conductivity
interfaces
Ligands
Nanocrystals
nanostructures
Pellets
semiconductors
Thermal conductivity
Thermoelectric materials
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Summary:Nano‐ and mesostructuring is widely used in thermoelectric (TE) materials. It introduces numerous interfaces and grain boundaries that scatter phonons and decrease thermal conductivity. A new approach has been developed for the rational design of the interfaces in TE materials by using all‐inorganic nanocrystals (NCs) that serve as a “glue” for mesoscopic grains. For example, circa 10 nm Bi NCs capped with (N2H5)4Sb2Te7 chalcogenidometallate ligands can be used as an additive to BiSbTe particles. During heat treatment, NCs fill up the voids between particles and act as a “glue”, joining grains in hot‐pressed pellets or solution‐processed films. The chemical design of NC glue allowed the selective enhancement or decrease of the majority‐carrier concentration near the grain boundaries, and thus resulted in doped or de‐doped interfaces in granular TE material. Chemically engineered interfaces can be used as to optimize power factor and thermal conductivity. The interfaces in thermoelectric materials can be formed by using bismuth nanocrystals (NCs) capped with (N2H5)4Sb2Te7 ligands that serve as a “glue” for mesoscopic grains, which are joined in hot‐pressed pellets or solution‐processed thin films. The design of the NC glue allows selective enhancement or decrease of the majority‐carrier concentration near the grain boundaries.
ISSN:1433-7851
1521-3773
DOI:10.1002/anie.201402026