Bulk Synthesis of Thermoelectric Materials
P. V. Braun,* T. Dellinger
U. S. Department of Energy, DE-FG02-96ER45439 (In cooperation with the Materials Research Laboratory)

The thermoelectric figure of merit of bismuth, Bi2Te3, and other materials increases with decreasing dimensionality. If bismuth metal is produced with a characteristic dimension of less than 50 nm, its thermoelectric figure of merit is theorized to increase substantially. With the goal of creating efficient thermoelectric materials, we are exploring several self-assembly routes to the synthesis of nanophase bismuth and Bi2Te3. Initial results indicate bismuth metal of reduced dimensionality can be produced through several self-assembly strategies. We are currently using SEM and TEM to characterize the materials we have synthesized.