Abstract
We report the room-temperature growth of vertically aligned ternary Bi2−xSbxTe3 nanowires of diameter ~200 nm and length ~12 µm, within flexible track-etched nanoporous polycarbonate (PC) templates via a one-step electrodeposition process. Bi2−xSbxTe3 nanowires with compositions spanning the entire range from pure Bi2Te3 (x = 0) to pure Sb2Te3 (x = 2) were systematically grown within the nanoporous channels of PC templates from a tartaric–nitric acid based electrolyte, at the end of which highly crystalline nanowires of uniform composition were obtained. Compositional analysis showed that the Sb concentration could be tuned by simply varying the electrolyte composition without any need for further annealing of the samples. Thermoelectric properties of the Bi2−xSbxTe3 nanowires were measured using a standardized bespoke setup while they were still embedded within the flexible PC templates.
Highlights
The rise of wireless sensing and communication technology in consumer electronics, health care and industry has led to an increased demand for wireless devices that are able to sustain themselves using ambient energy sources such as heat and vibrations
The Au layer serves as both nucleation sites and electrode contact for the growth of NWs inside the porous template during electrodeposition [34]
Profuse growth of NWs with protruding tips are clearly evident after the electrodeposition of Bi2−x Sbx Te3 NWs showing almost 100 % coverage
Summary
The rise of wireless sensing and communication technology in consumer electronics, health care and industry has led to an increased demand for wireless devices that are able to sustain themselves using ambient energy sources such as heat and vibrations. Thermoelectric generators (TEGs), without requiring any moving parts, can convert a temperature difference directly into an electrical current, and are attracting widespread interest in generating power by recovering waste heat energy [1]. Considerable efforts have been made toward enhancing the figure-of-merit values in other existing TE material classes, including tellurides [3,4,5,6], half-Heuslers [7,8], and silicides [9,10]. ZT can be often largely improved by nanostructuring [11,12,13] In this respect, TE nanomaterials offer the scope for higher ZT values and simultaneously allow for miniaturization of TE devices required for small-scale energy harvesting technologies. There is a considerable interest in developing flexible and lightweight TE
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