Titania–germanium nanocomposite as a thermoelectric material

Titania–germanium (TiO2–Ge) is a super lattice nanocomposite semiconductor. In TiO2–Ge nanocomposites, Ge nanodots are dispersed in the matrix of TiO2. Tailoring of the size and density of Ge nanodots one can alter the thermal and electrical conductivities of the nanocomposites in a wide scale. It has been accomplished the highest electrical conductivity of 1.62 × 10− 02 S cm− 1 which is little higher than that of Ge film, and the lowest thermal conductivity of 0.011 W cm− 1 K− 1 which is one order lower than that of TiO2 film. The promising phonon-blocking and electron-transmitting properties of TiO2–Ge super lattices strengthen its potential to be the cutting-edge thermoelectric material.