High thermoelectric figure of merit of porous Si nanowires from 300 to 700 K

Lin Yang, Daihong Huh, Rui Ning, Vi Rapp, Yuqiang Zeng, Yunzhi Liu, Sucheol Ju, Yi Tao, Yue Jiang, Jihyun Beak, Juyoung Leem, Sumanjeet Kaur, Heon Lee, Xiaolin Zheng () and Ravi S. Prasher ()
Additional contact information
Lin Yang: Energy Technology Area, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Daihong Huh: Stanford University
Rui Ning: Stanford University
Vi Rapp: Energy Technology Area, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Yuqiang Zeng: Energy Technology Area, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Yunzhi Liu: Stanford University
Sucheol Ju: Korea University
Yi Tao: Vanderbilt University
Yue Jiang: Stanford University
Jihyun Beak: Stanford University
Juyoung Leem: Stanford University
Sumanjeet Kaur: Energy Technology Area, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Heon Lee: Korea University
Xiaolin Zheng: Stanford University
Ravi S. Prasher: Energy Technology Area, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

Nature Communications, 2021, vol. 12, issue 1, 1-7

Abstract: Abstract Thermoelectrics operating at high temperature can cost-effectively convert waste heat and compete with other zero-carbon technologies. Among different high-temperature thermoelectrics materials, silicon nanowires possess the combined attributes of cost effectiveness and mature manufacturing infrastructures. Despite significant breakthroughs in silicon nanowires based thermoelectrics for waste heat conversion, the figure of merit (ZT) or operating temperature has remained low. Here, we report the synthesis of large-area, wafer-scale arrays of porous silicon nanowires with ultra-thin Si crystallite size of ~4 nm. Concurrent measurements of thermal conductivity (κ), electrical conductivity (σ), and Seebeck coefficient (S) on the same nanowire show a ZT of 0.71 at 700 K, which is more than ~18 times higher than bulk Si. This ZT value is more than two times higher than any nanostructured Si-based thermoelectrics reported in the literature at 700 K. Experimental data and theoretical modeling demonstrate that this work has the potential to achieve a ZT of ~1 at 1000 K.

Date: 2021
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-24208-3

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