Bismuth telluride-based materials have been widely investigated due to their applications for the development of high-performance thermoelectric devices. Here, we numerically determine the effective electrical conductivity (𝜎 '(( ), thermal conductivity (𝑘 '(( ), and Seebeck coefficient (𝑆 '(( ) of composite materials made up of VO ) nanoparticles embedded in a Bi *.+ Sb ,.+ Te -(BST) matrix. The temperature evolution of these three properties along with the thermoelectric figure of merit (𝑍𝑇 = 𝜎 '(( 𝑆 '(( ) 𝑇 𝑘 '(( 7) is analyzed across the metal-insulator transition of VO ) and for temperatures up to 550 K. For temperatures higher than 350 K, it is shown that VO ) nanoparticles with a concentration of 34% enhance the electrical conductivity and ZT of the matrix by about 16% and 10%, respectively, while the Seebeck coefficient remains pretty much constant. This indicates that VO ) nanoparticles provide an effective way to enhance the thermoelectric efficiency of Bi *.+ Sb ,.+ Tematerials. The calculated ZT values for VO ) are in good agreement with the experimental data reported in the literature for temperatures higher than 350 K. The thermal conductivity values obtained for VO ) in the insulating phase are in good agreement with the experimental data reported in the literature, which are used to calculate the interface thermal resistance between Bi *.+ Sb ,.+ Teand VO ) . Furthermore, the ratio 𝑘 '(( 𝑇𝜎 '(( ⁄ is found to be higher than the Lorenz number obtained for pure metals, such that its values increase with temperature and the VO ) concentration, for temperatures higher than the transition temperature (342.5 K) of VO ) .
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.