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

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Abstract

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.

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Notes

  1. Notice that there is some controversy in the nomenclature of the different Ag2Te phases. We use α to denote the low-temperature Ag2Te phase and β for the high-temperature one.

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Acknowledgments

The research was supported by the European Regional Development Funds and the Spanish MICINN Projects MAT2008-05779, MAT2008-03400-E/MAT, MAT2010-15138, MAT2010-21510, CSD2009-00050, and ENE2008-03277-E/CON. M.I. is grateful to the Spanish MICINN for her PhD grant. A. Cirera acknowledges support from ICREA Academia program. A. Cabot is grateful to the Spanish MICINN for financial support through the Ramón y Cajal program.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Catalonia Institute for Energy Research, IREC, 08930, Sant Adrià del Besos (Barcelona), Spain

    Doris Cadavid, Joan Ramon Morante & Andreu Cabot

  2. Departament d’Electrònica, Universitat de Barcelona, 08028, Barcelona, Spain

    Maria Ibáñez, Albert Cirera, Joan Ramon Morante & Andreu Cabot

  3. CNRS, Université de Bordeaux, ICMCB, 87 avenue du Docteur Albert Schweitzer, 33608, Pessac Cedex, France

    Stéphane Gorsse

  4. Departament d’Enginyeria Electrónica, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, EPSEVG, Av.Victor Balaguer s/n, 08800, Barcelona, Spain

    Antonio M. López

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  1. Doris Cadavid
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Correspondence to Andreu Cabot.

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Cadavid, D., Ibáñez, M., Gorsse, S. et al. Bottom-up processing of thermoelectric nanocomposites from colloidal nanocrystal building blocks: the case of Ag2Te–PbTe. J Nanopart Res 14, 1328 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11051-012-1328-0

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