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2D Chalcogenide Nanoplate Assemblies for Thermoelectric Applications
Author(s) -
Dun Chaochao,
Hewitt Corey A.,
Li Qi,
Xu Junwei,
Schall Drew C.,
Lee Hyunsu,
Jiang Qike,
Carroll David. L.
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
advanced materials
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 10.707
H-Index - 527
eISSN - 1521-4095
pISSN - 0935-9648
DOI - 10.1002/adma.201700070
Subject(s) - high resolution transmission electron microscopy , materials science , seebeck coefficient , nanotechnology , thermoelectric effect , chalcogenide , nanostructure , nanoparticle , thermoelectric materials , transmission electron microscopy , optoelectronics , composite material , thermal conductivity , physics , thermodynamics
Engineered atomic dislocations have been used to create a novel, Sb 2 Te 3 nanoplate‐like architecture that exhibits a unique antisymmetric chirality. High‐resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) coupled with atomic force microscopy and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy reveals the architectures to be extremely well ordered with little residual strain. Surface modification of these topologically complex macrostructures (≈3 µm) has been achieved by direct growth of metallic Ag nanoparticles onto the edge sites of the Sb 2 Te 3 . Again, HRTEM shows this nanoparticle decoration to be atomically sharp at the boundaries and regularly spaced along the selvedge of the nanostructure. Transport experiments of densified films of these assemblies exhibit marked increases in carrier density after nanoengineering, yielding 3.5 × 10 4 S m −1 in electrical conductivity. An increased Seebeck coefficient by 20% in parallel with electrical conductivity is also observed. This gives a thermoelectric power factor of 371 µW m −1 K −2 , which is the highest value for a flexible, freestanding film to date. These results suggest an entirely new direction in the search for wearable power harvesters based on topologically complex, low‐dimensional nanoassemblies.