In-situ resonant band engineering of solution-processed semiconductors generates high performance n-type thermoelectric nano-inks

Abstract

Thermoelectric devices possess enormous potential to reshape the global energy landscape by converting waste heat into electricity, yet their commercial implementation has been limited by their high cost to output power ratio. No single "champion" thermoelectric material exists due to a broad range of material-dependent thermal and electrical property optimization challenges. While the advent of nanostructuring provided a general design paradigm for reducing material thermal conductivities, there exists no analogous strategy for homogeneous, precise doping of materials. Here, we demonstrate a nanoscale interfaceengineering approach that harnesses the large chemically accessible surface areas of nanomaterials to yield massive, finely-controlled, and stable changes in the Seebeck coefficient, switching a poor nonconventional p-type thermoelectric material, tellurium, into a robust n-type material exhibiting stable properties over months of testing. These remodeled, n-type nanowires display extremely high power factors (~500 µW m −1 K −2) that are orders of magnitude higher than their bulk p-type counterparts.

Dual sensing signal decoupling based on tellurium anisotropy for VR interaction and neuro-reflex system application

“…Tellurium (Te) is an emerging semiconductor material for next-generation devices with low thermal conductivity (1.6 W m −1 K −1 ) 1 , 2 , excellent transport properties 3 , 4 , high carrier mobility of ~1000 cm 2 V −1 s −1 5 , 6 , and anisotropic atomic structure 7 , 8 . These properties make Te a promising candidate as the material of choice for next generation electronic and photonic devices 9 – 11 .…”

“…In this structure, the relatively heavy atomic mass and large phonon scattering between molecular chains result in a low lattice thermal conductivity 24 . Te exhibits good thermoelectric and electrical conductivity along the z axis 2 . More importantly, Te with an intrinsic anisotropic atomic structure can modulate electron directional polarization to realize signal separation of different stimuli and can intrinsically minimize signal interference.…”

The effect of annealing in carbon powders on the anisotropy of the thermoelectric properties of SrTiO3−δ single crystals on the (001) crystal plane

“…The evaluation criteria of TE materials are based on the dimensionless figure of merit ZT (defined as σS 2 T/κ, where S is the Seebeck coefficient, σ is the electrical conductivity, κ is the thermal conductivity, and T is the absolute temperature). Researchers have rapidly developed TE materials through low dimensionalization, 3,4 energy band engineering, 5,6 interface engineering, 7,8 energy filtering effect, 9,10 magnetoelectric effect, 11,12 and topological effect. 13 Oxide TE materials have been extensively investigated by researchers due to their good chemical and thermal stability.…”

Local Lattice Deformation of Tellurene Grain Boundaries by Four-Dimensional Electron Microscopy

“…Tellurium nanostructures are now viewed as promising candidates for functional materials in electronic and optical applications, − energy conversion, − and biomedical applications , among others. − The recent realization of a two-dimensional (2D) form of telluriumtellurenehas allowed research teams to demonstrate an air-stable monoelemental van der Waals material with remarkable potential for these varied applications. , The chiral-chain structure of ultrathin Te gives rise to different electronic and optical properties than bulk Te because of the nonmonotonic carrier mobility and an increase in electronic band gap as the thickness is reduced. ,, Still, scalable and accurate production of 2D Te-based functional devices will require detailed knowledge of structural defects and strain field distributions that can be linked to transport properties, both from a quality control perspective and to enable new applications such as those discussed for other 2D materials. − …”