Tuning Transport Properties in Thermoelectric Nanocomposites through Inorganic Ligands and Heterostructured Building Blocks.

ABSTRACT: Methodologies that involve the use of nanoparticles as "artificial atoms" to rationally build materials in a bottom-up fashion are particularly well-suited to control the matter at the nanoscale. Colloidal synthetic routes allow for an exquisite control over such "artificial atoms" in terms of size, shape, and crystal phase as well as core and surface compositions. We present here a bottom-up approach to produce Pb-Ag-K-S-Te nanocomposites, which is a highly promising system for thermoelectric energy conversion. First, we developed a high-yield and scalable colloidal synthesis route to uniform lead sulfide (PbS) nanorods, whose tips are made of silver sulfide (Ag₂S). We then took advantage of the large surface-to-volume ratio to introduce a p-type dopant (K) by replacing native organic ligands with K₂Te. Upon thermal consolidation, K₂Te-surface modified PbS-Ag₂S nanorods yield p-type doped nanocomposites with PbTe and PbS as major phases and Ag₂S and Ag₂Te as embedded nanoinclusions. Thermoelectric characterization of such consolidated nanosolids showed a high thermoelectric figure-of-merit of 1 at 620 K.

SUBMITTER: Ibanez M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6595432 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature