The Influence of Nanoscale Heterostructures on the Thermoelectric Properties of Bi-substituted Tl5Te3

Heinke, Frank; Eisenburger, Lucien; Schlegel, Robert; Schwarzmüller, Stefan and Öckler, Oliver (2017): The Influence of Nanoscale Heterostructures on the Thermoelectric Properties of Bi-substituted Tl5Te3. In: Zeitschrift für Anorganische und Allgemeine Chemie, Vol. 643, No. 6: pp. 447-454

Abstract

Tl4.5Bi0.5Te3 crystallizes in a distorted variant of the Tl5Te3 structure type in the space group I4/m. The symmetry reduction compared to Tl5Te3 (space group I4/mcm) is a consequence of cation ordering as shown by resonant X-ray scattering using synchrotron radiation. Tl and Bi predominantly occupy one Wyckoff site each. This ordering is accompanied by displacements of Te atoms. The influence of nanostructuring on the thermoelectric performance of Tl4.5Bi0.5Te3 was investigated for the new composite model system Tl4.5Bi0.5Te3 - TlInTe2. For the nominal composition (Tl4.5Bi0.5Te3)(0.6)(TlInTe2)(0.4), the thermoelectric Figure of merit ZT reaches 0.8 at 325 degrees C. Nanoscaled precipitates with sizes of about 100-200 nm probably have beneficial influence on the thermal conductivity at this temperature.

• Item Type: Journal article
• Faculties: Chemistry and Pharmacy > Department of Chemistry
• Subjects: 500 Science > 540 Chemistry
• ISSN: 0044-2313
• Language: English