High-performance thermoelectric nanocomposites from nanocrystal building blocks

Maria Ibáñez, Zhishan Luo, Aziz Genç, Laura Piveteau, Silvia Ortega, Doris Cadavid, Oleksandr Dobrozhan, Yu Liu, Maarten Nachtegaal, Mona Zebarjadi, Jordi Arbiol, Maksym V. Kovalenko and Andreu Cabot ()
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Maria Ibáñez: Institute of Inorganic Chemistry, ETH Zürich
Zhishan Luo: Catalonia Energy Research Institute - IREC, Sant Adria de Besos
Aziz Genç: Catalan Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (ICN2), CSIC and The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Campus UAB, Bellaterra
Laura Piveteau: Institute of Inorganic Chemistry, ETH Zürich
Silvia Ortega: Catalonia Energy Research Institute - IREC, Sant Adria de Besos
Doris Cadavid: Catalonia Energy Research Institute - IREC, Sant Adria de Besos
Oleksandr Dobrozhan: Catalonia Energy Research Institute - IREC, Sant Adria de Besos
Yu Liu: Catalonia Energy Research Institute - IREC, Sant Adria de Besos
Maarten Nachtegaal: Paul Scherrer Institute
Mona Zebarjadi: Rutgers University
Jordi Arbiol: Catalan Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (ICN2), CSIC and The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Campus UAB, Bellaterra
Maksym V. Kovalenko: Institute of Inorganic Chemistry, ETH Zürich
Andreu Cabot: Catalonia Energy Research Institute - IREC, Sant Adria de Besos

Nature Communications, 2016, vol. 7, issue 1, 1-7

Abstract: Abstract The efficient conversion between thermal and electrical energy by means of durable, silent and scalable solid-state thermoelectric devices has been a long standing goal. While nanocrystalline materials have already led to substantially higher thermoelectric efficiencies, further improvements are expected to arise from precise chemical engineering of nanoscale building blocks and interfaces. Here we present a simple and versatile bottom–up strategy based on the assembly of colloidal nanocrystals to produce consolidated yet nanostructured thermoelectric materials. In the case study on the PbS–Ag system, Ag nanodomains not only contribute to block phonon propagation, but also provide electrons to the PbS host semiconductor and reduce the PbS intergrain energy barriers for charge transport. Thus, PbS–Ag nanocomposites exhibit reduced thermal conductivities and higher charge carrier concentrations and mobilities than PbS nanomaterial. Such improvements of the material transport properties provide thermoelectric figures of merit up to 1.7 at 850 K.

Date: 2016
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DOI: 10.1038/ncomms10766

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