Abstract
The addition of Fe3O4 nanoparticles to Bi2Se3 nanocomposites resulted in a significant increase of the thermoelectric figure of merit zT at room temperature from 0.14 in Bi2Se3 to 0.21 in Bi2Se3 with added 5 % volume of Fe3O4 nanoparticles. The main contributor to the improved zT is the large increase in carrier concentration, hence increased electrical conductivity. Electron microscopy investigation revealed chemical changes in the Bi2Se3 leading to segregation of Bi to the interface with the Fe3O4 nanoparticles. The fact that the altered Bi/Se proportion was constrained close to the grain boundaries resulted in a mild reduction of the Seebeck coefficient, less than what is expected from simple band structure models for the same increase in carrier density. The addition of Fe3O4 in relatively small volume fraction allowed to both decrease the thermal conductivity and increase the power factor in a Bi2Se3 material, the latter more intensely than usual substitution methods.
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