Electronic structure and thermoelectric properties of Bi 2Te 3 crystals and graphene-doped Bi 2Te 3

Abstract

The electronic structure and thermoelectric properties of Bi 2Te 3 single crystals and graphene-doped Bi 2Te 3 polycrystalline samples were investigated with the aid of first-principles calculations, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, Rietveld refinement, and thermal and transport measurements. It was found that the p electrons from the Bi and Te atoms are responsible for the density of states near the Fermi level. Experimental results show that the graphene-doped Bi 2Te 3 exhibits lower thermal conductivity and has a higher figure-of-merit than the single crystals.