Enhanced Thermoelectric Properties of Sb2Te3 Thin Films by In Doping

Abstract

Flexible Sb2Te3-based thermoelectric (TE) materials are promising candidates for fabricating energy devices that power wearable electronics and sensors. Enhancing the TE properties of Sb2Te3 thin films represents a significant scientific investigation. In this work, a thermal diffusion method is applied to prepare the In-doped Sb2Te3 thin film. In doping can lead to a high Seebeck coefficient of ~137.04 μV K−1 as well as moderate electrical conductivity. As a result, the high power factor of ~18.22 μW cm−1 K−2 at 303 K is achieved. Moreover, In doping could reduce the thermal conductivity owing to the increase in phonon scattering. Finally, the high ZT values of ~0.47 at room temperature (303 K) and ~0.6 at 453 K are obtained. This indicates that In doping is a highly promising and effective approach to improving the TE performance of Sb2Te3 thin films.