Development of bismuth tellurium selenide nanoparticles for thermoelectric applications via a chemical synthetic process

Bismuth tellurium selenide (Bi2TeySe3−y) nanoparticles for thermoelectric applications are successfully prepared via a water-based chemical reaction under atmospheric conditions. The nanostructured compound is prepared using a complexing agent (ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid) and a reducing agent (ascorbic acid) to stabilize the bismuth precursor (Bi(NO3)3) in water and to favor the reaction with reduced sources of tellurium and selenium. The resulting powder is smaller than ca. 100 nm and has a crystalline structure corresponding to the rhombohedral Bi2Te2.7Se0.3. The nanocrystalline powder is sintered via a spark plasma sintering process to obtain a sintered body composed of nano-sized grains. Important transport properties of the sintered body are measured to calculate its most important characteristic, the thermoelectric performance. The results demonstrate a relationship between the nanostructure of the sintered body and its thermal conductivity.

Graphical abstractFigure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slideResearch highlights▶ We synthesized a Bi2TeySe3−y nano-compound via a chemical synthetic process. ▶ The compound was sintered to achieve an average grain size of about 300 nm. ▶ The resulting sintered body showed very low thermal conductivity. It is likely caused by the vigorous phonon scattering of the nano-sized grains.