Abstract
Nanowires have better thermoelectric performance than their bulk counterparts. It has been predicted that the thermoelectric efficiency of nanowires can be further enhanced when their diameter is modulated. Here, we report on the effect of disorder in the nanowire modulation profile. Our calculations on the electron and phonon transport properties showed that disorder can induce a significant enhancement of the thermoelectric efficiency due to the very big decrease of the phonon thermal conductivity. It is pointed out that the amount of disorder present in the geometry of the nanowire is critical. It is shown that adequate disorder can significantly limit the phonon propagation while preserving sufficient electron propagation and high power factors. Our findings provide design guidelines for nanostructures with enhanced thermoelectric properties that could lead to novel devices for efficient thermal to electrical energy conversion.
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