Bottom-up processing of thermoelectric nanocomposites from colloidal nanocrystal building blocks: the case of Ag2Te–PbTe

Doris Cadavid (1) , Maria Ibáñez (2) , Stéphane Gorsse (3) , Antonio López (4) , Albert Cirera (2) , Joan Ramon Morante (1, 2) , Andreu Cabot (1, 2)

1 IREC - Catalonia Institute for Energy Research
2 UB - Universitat de Barcelona
3 ICMCB - Institut de Chimie de la Matière Condensée de Bordeaux
4 UPC - Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya = Université polytechnique de Catalogne [Barcelona]

Nanocomposites are highly promising materials to enhance the efficiency of current thermoelectric devices. A straightforward and at the same time highly versatile and controllable approach to produce nanocomposites is the assembly of solution-processed nanocrystal building blocks. The convenience of this bottom-up approach to produce nanocomposites with homogeneous phase distributions and adjustable composition is demonstrated here by blending Ag2Te and PbTe colloidal nanocrystals to form Ag2Te–PbTe bulk nanocomposites. The thermoelectric properties of these nanocomposites are analyzed in the temperature range from 300 to 700 K. The evolution of their electrical conductivity and Seebeck coefficient is discussed in terms of the blend composition and the characteristics of the constituent materials.

Mots clés: Nanocomposites; Thermoelectricity; Inorganic compounds

Domaines: Matériaux

Doris Cadavid, Maria Ibáñez, Stéphane Gorsse, Antonio López, Albert Cirera, et al.. Bottom-up processing of thermoelectric nanocomposites from colloidal nanocrystal building blocks: the case of Ag2Te–PbTe. Journal of Nanoparticle Research, 2012, 14 (12), pp.1328. ⟨10.1007/s11051-012-1328-0⟩. ⟨hal-04510058⟩