Thermoelectric Applications of Low-Dimensional Carbon Nanostructures with Acoustically Mismatched Boundaries

Abstract

Thermoelectric applications of low-dimensional carbon nanostructures offer new ways to manipulate the electron and phonon properties of a given material. High-resolution Raman spectroscopy of ultra-thin silicon-on-insulator structures reveals multiple peaks in the spectral range from 50 cm−1 to 160 cm−1. The peak positions are consistent with the theoretical predictions and indicate the confined nature of phonon-transport in thin films and superlattices with a finite acoustic mismatch between layers. This opens up a novel turning capability for optimization of the thermoelectric properties of low-dimensional structures.