Development Of Devices Research Articles

Effect of graphene on the key electrical, optical, and magnetic properties of polymethylmethacrylate: a study based on molecular modeling.

In this work, a new polymeric structure was designed consisting of a nanometric sheet of graphene (G) and a polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) repeat unit, which was designated as PMMA-G. Three degrees of polymerization of PMMA-G were considered: monomer (PMMA-G1), dimer (PMMA-G2), and trimer (PMMA-G3). The effect of incorporating a nanometric sheet of graphene into the molecular structure of PMMA on the modification of some of its main optical, magnetic, and electrical properties was investigated. Currently, the study presented here is of great relevance since various areas of technology require new materials with specific properties for the development of new devices. The results of our study reveal that the dielectric constant of PMMA is reduced when graphene is incorporated. However, a percentage increase of 14.48% in the refractive index of PMMA when graphene is inserted to form the nanocomposite is observed. It is found that the absolute value of molar magnetic susceptibility of PMMA increases considerably when reinforced with graphene. Finally, when reinforcing PMMA with graphene to obtain the PMMA-G nanocomposite, the electrical resistivity increases by almost an order of magnitude. We used computational tools under Materials Studio (MS) software. We built a PMMA molecule with three degrees of polymerization, graphene sheet, and polymethylmethacrylate-graphene composite (PMMA-G) was built also with three degrees of polymerization using a concentration of 50% graphene over the PMMA polymer. For each structure, we used computational code DMol3 of MS, which is based on the Density Functional Theory, and the geometry optimization process was carried out to obtain the most stable structures. Finally, using the connectivity indices method together with topological properties of the molecular structures, implemented in Synthia computational code of MS software, we calculated the dielectric constant, magnetic susceptibility, refractive index, and electrical resistivity, for pure PMMA and PMMA-G structures for their three degrees of polymerization. The results were analyzed, and the changes in these properties were discussed in terms of the effect of an electric and magnetic field on the molecular structures of PMMA-G with respect to PMMA.

First-principles study of oxygen vacancy defects in β-quartz SiO2/Si interfaces

Abstract Understanding the electronic structures of gate oxides in Si-based devices is significant for improving device performance. We investigate the electronic properties of the oxygen vacancy defects in β-quartz SiO2/Si interface structure using first-principles calculations. The results indicate that the constructed (SiO2)4/(Si)4 structure is an indirect-gap semiconductor, with its band edges contributed by Si side and a large band-edge energy difference ( > 1.780 eV). Our study reveals that the presence of oxygen vacancy defects reduces the band gap, and V O 1 is transformed from indirect into direct band gap. The Si dangling bonds in V O 1 cause charge localization around the O vacancy, while the formation of Si–Si bonds in V O 2 and V O 3 lead to electron delocalization. In the calculation of defect formation energies, we find that V O 1 maintains the lowest formation energy across different states, making it more likely to form and structurally stable. Compared to O-rich environments, the formation energy in O-poor environments is overall reduced by approximately 4.5 eV, indicating that oxygen vacancy defects are more likely to form and be controlled under O-poor conditions. Our study emphasizes the importance of interface structure and defect characteristics in semiconductor research, providing insights for the development of Si-based devices.

A Wearable Gait-Analysis Device for Idiopathic Normal-Pressure Hydrocephalus (INPH) Monitoring.

Idiopathic Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus (iNPH) is a progressive neurologic disorder (fluid build-up in the brain) that affects 0.2-5% of the UK population aged over 65. Mobility problems, dementia and urinary incontinence are symptoms of iNPH but often these are not properly evaluated, and patients receive the wrong diagnosis. Here, we describe the development and testing of a wearable device that records and analyses a patient's gait. The movement patterns, expressed as quantitative data, allow clinicians to improve the non-invasive diagnosis of iNPH as well as monitor the management of patients undergoing treatment. The wearable sensor system comprises a miniature electronic unit that attaches to one ankle of the patient via a simple Velcro strap. The unit monitors acceleration along three axes with a sample rate of 60 Hz and transmits the data via a Bluetooth communication link to a tablet or smart phone running the Android and the iOS operating systems. The software package extracts statistics based on stride length, stride height, distance walked and speed. Analysis confirmed that the system achieved an average accuracy of at least 98% for gait tests conducted over distances 9 m. Using this device will improve the diagnostic process and management of iNPH and the treatment and management of this condition.

Photon echo on excitons for the development of nanoelectronic devices based on a quantum-size structures in a thin zinc oxide films

The relaxation decays of photon echo signals in thin zinc oxide films produced by magnetron sputtering have been studied. Echo signals are excited at a wavelength of 800 nm at transitions between quantum levels that arise when excitonic states are localized in quantum-sized structures in the two-photon absorption mode of laser pulses with a wavelength of 800 nm.

Low-Cost Device for Measuring Wastewater Flow Rate in Open Channels

This research paper describes the development of a low-cost device for measuring wastewater flow rates in open channels, a significant advancement enabled by the evolution of microcomputers and processing techniques. A laboratory setup was constructed to validate the device’s accuracy against a standard flow measurement method, optimizing key parameters to achieve a linear relationship between detected and set flow rates, while considering hardware limitations and energy efficiency. The central focus of the research was developing a method to measure the velocity of contaminated fluid using ultrasonic signals, employing the cross-correlation method for signal delay analysis in a stochastic environment. This was complemented by a procedure to measure fluid levels, also based on ultrasonic signals. The device’s reliability was assessed through repeatability and uncertainty measurements, confirming its accuracy with an extended uncertainty not exceeding an average of 3.47% for flows above 40 L/min. The device has potential to provide valuable data on the operational dynamics of sanitary networks, crucial for developing and calibrating simulation models.

Determination of the conduction and valence band offsets at the Co3O4/3C-SiC p-n heterojunction

The band offsets of semiconductor heterojunctions are critical parameters for the design of electronic and optoelectronic devices. In this work, we report the fabrication of a Co3O4/3C-SiC p-n heterojunction and the determination of the conduction band and valence band offsets at the Co3O4/3C-SiC heterojunction. Our results reveal that the Co3O4/3C-SiC p-n heterojunction exhibits a type-II band alignment, with a conduction band offset of 0.75 eV and a valence band offset of 0.96 eV. These experimental findings are crucial for the design and development of 3C-SiC devices for electronic and optoelectronic applications.

Kinematic-Muscular Synergies Describe Human Locomotion with a Set of Functional Synergies.

Kinematics, kinetics and biomechanics of human gait are widely investigated fields of research. The biomechanics of locomotion have been described as characterizing muscle activations and synergistic control, i.e., spatial and temporal patterns of coordinated muscle groups and joints. Both kinematic synergies and muscle synergies have been extracted from locomotion data, showing that in healthy people four-five synergies underlie human locomotion; such synergies are, in general, robust across subjects and might be altered by pathological gait, depending on the severity of the impairment. In this work, for the first time, we apply the mixed matrix factorization algorithm to the locomotion data of 15 healthy participants to extract hybrid kinematic-muscle synergies and show that they allow us to directly link task space variables (i.e., kinematics) to the neural structure of muscle synergies. We show that kinematic-muscle synergies can describe the biomechanics of motion to a better extent than muscle synergies or kinematic synergies alone. Moreover, this study shows that at a functional level, modular control of the lower limb during locomotion is based on an increased number of functional synergies with respect to standard muscle synergies and accounts for different biomechanical roles that each synergy may have within the movement. Kinematic-muscular synergies may have impact in future work for a deeper understanding of modular control and neuro-motor recovery in the medical and rehabilitation fields, as they associate neural and task space variables in the same factorization. Applications include the evaluation of post-stroke, Parkinson's disease and cerebral palsy patients, and for the design and development of robotic devices and exoskeletons during walking.

Electronic Barriers Behavioral Analysis of a Schottky Diode Structure Featuring Two-Dimensional MoS2

This research presents a comprehensive study of a Schottky diode fabricated using a gold wafer and a bilayer molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) film. Through detailed simulations, we investigated the electric field distribution, potential profile, carrier concentration, and current–voltage characteristics of the device. Our findings confirm the successful formation of a Schottky barrier at the Au/MoS2 interface, characterized by a distinct nonlinear I–V relationship. Comparative analysis revealed that the Au/MoS2 diode significantly outperforms a traditional W/Si structure in terms of rectification performance. The Au/MoS2 diode exhibited a current density of 1.84 × 10−9 A/cm2, substantially lower than the 3.62 × 10−5 A/cm2 in the W/Si diode. Furthermore, the simulated I–V curves of the Au/MoS2 diode closely resembled the ideal diode curve, with a Pearson correlation coefficient of approximately 0.9991, indicating an ideality factor near 1. A key factor contributing to the superior rectification performance of the Au/MoS2 diode is its higher Schottky barrier height of 0.9 eV compared to the 0.67 eV of W/Si. This increased barrier height is evident in the band diagram analysis, which further elucidates the underlying physics of Schottky barrier formation in the Au/MoS2 junction. This research provides insights into the electronic properties of Schottky contacts based on two-dimensional MoS2, particularly the relationship between electronic barriers, system dimensions, and current flow. The demonstration of high-ideality-factor Au/MoS2 diodes contributes to the design and optimization of future electronic and optoelectronic devices based on 2D materials. These findings have implications for advancements in semiconductor technology, potentially enabling the development of smaller, more efficient, and flexible devices.

Graphene‑vanadium dioxide ultra-wideband dual regulated absorber

In this paper, we propose a novel tunable THZ absorber consisting of a patterned graphene layer and a metal plate separated by a vanadium dioxide dielectric layer. The absorbent has a simple structure, is easy to make graphene patterns, and has a dual regulatory function. The ability to double regulate comes from the fact that the state of vanadium dioxide changes with the temperature between the insulating phase and the metal phase, resulting in a change in its conductivity. When vanadium dioxide is in the insulating phase, the total reflection characteristics of the absorber are >7 THz, and when vanadium dioxide is in the metallic phase, the absorber achieves near-perfect absorption in the ultra-wideband range of 3 THz to 12.4 THz (9.4 THz). Local surface plasmon resonance explains the perfect absorption. Compared with previous absorbers, our proposed absorbers are not only simple in structure, the graphene pattern is also easy to process, but also have double adjustment and perfect absorption in the ultra-wideband range, are not sensitive to polarized light, and have large tolerances for the Angle of incident. The further development and enrichment of terahertz metamaterials and metasurface devices will also have beneficial implications for terahertz wave applications in sensing, communications, and radar. Due to their significant application value in stealth, detection, and communication, metamaterial absorbers have become a research hotspot in the field of metamaterials.

Effect of Spatial Resolution on Accurate Detection and Localization of Arrhythmia Rotors in Human Right Ventricular Tachycardia.

The goal of this study was to identify the spatial resolution requirements for accurate rotor detection and localization in human right ventricular tachyarrhythmias. Poor spatial resolution is often cited as a reason for the inaccuracy of cardiac mapping catheters in detecting and localizing arrhythmia rotors. High-resolution (0.7 mm) arrhythmia data from optical recordings obtained from human donor hearts (n = 12) were uniformly downsampled to lower resolutions (1.4-7 mm) to approximate the spatial resolution (4 mm) of clinical mapping catheters. Rotors were tracked at various subresolutions and compared to the rotors in the original data by computing F1-scores to create accuracy profiles for both rotor detection and localization. Further comparisons were made according to arrhythmia type, donor sex, anatomical region, and mapped surface: endocardium or epicardium. For a spatial resolution of 4.2 mm, the accuracies of rotor detection and localization were 57% ± 4% and 61% ± 7%, respectively. Arrhythmia type affected the accuracy of rotor detection (monomorphic ventricular tachycardia, 58% ± 4%; ventricular fibrillation, 56% ± 8%) and localization (monomorphic ventricular tachycardia, 70% ± 4%; ventricular fibrillation, 54% ± 13%). However, donor sex, anatomical region (right ventricular outflow tract, mid, and apical), and mapped surface (epicardium and endocardium) did not significantly affect rotor detection or localization accuracy. To achieve rotor detection accuracy of 80%, a spatial resolution of 1.4 mm or better is needed. The accuracy profiles provided here serve as a guideline for future mapping device development.

Thermal transport in C6N7 monolayer: a machine learning based molecular dynamics study

The successful synthesis of a novel C6N7carbon nitride monolayer offers expansive prospects for applications in the fields of semiconductors, sensors, and gas separation technologies, in which the thermal transport properties of C6N7are crucial for optimizing the functionality and reliability of these applications. In this work, based on our developed machine learning potential (MLP), molecular dynamics (MD) simulations including homogeneous non-equilibrium, non-equilibrium, and their respective spectral decomposition methods are performed to investigate the effects of phonon transport, temperature, and length on the thermal conductivity of C6N7monolayer. Our results reveal that low-frequency and in-plane phonon modes dominate the thermal conductivity. Notably, thermal conductivity decreases with an increase in temperature due to temperature-induced increase in phonon-phonon scattering of in-plane phonon modes, while it increases with an extension in sample length. Our findings based on MD simulations with MLP contribute new insights into the lattice thermal conductivity of holey carbon nitride compounds, which is helpful for the development of next-generation electronic and photonic devices.

A Trianalyte µPAD for Simultaneous Determination of Iron, Zinc, and Manganese Ions.

In this work, a microfluidic paper-based analytical device (µPAD) for simultaneous detection of Fe, Zn, and Mn ions using immobilized chromogenic reagents Ferene S, xylenol orange, and 1-(2-pyridylazo)-2-naphthol, respectively, is presented. As the effective recognition of analytes via respective chromogens takes place under extremely different pH conditions, experiments reported in this publication are focused on optimization of the µPAD architecture allowing for the elimination of potential cross effects. The paper-based microfluidic device was fabricated using low-cost and well-reproducible wax-printing technology. For optical detection of color changes, an ordinary office scanner and self-made RGB-data processing program were applied. Optimized and stable over time, µPADs allow fast, selective, and reproducible multianalyte determinations at submillimolar levels of respective heavy metal ions, which was confirmed by results of the analysis of solutions mimicking real samples of wastewater. The presented concept of simultaneous determination of different analytes that required extremely different conditions for detection can be useful for the development of other multianalyte microfluidic paper-based devices in the µPAD format.

High Efficiency n-Type Doping of Organic Semiconductors by Cation Exchange.

Achieving efficient doping in n-type conjugated polymers is crucial for their application in electronic devices. In this study, an n-type doping method is developed based on cation exchange that maintains a high doping level while ensuring a high degree of structural order, leading to significantly improved electrical conductivity. By investigating various dopants and ionic liquids, it is discovered that the choice of dopant influences doping efficiency, while the selection of ionic liquid affects cation exchange efficiency. Through careful selection of suitable dopants and ionic liquids, High doping levels are achieved remarkably in a short period, resulting in the highest conductivity (nearly 1×10- 2Scm-¹) compared to other doping methods for poly{[N,N'-bis(2-octyldodecyl)-naphthalene-1,4,5,8-bis(dicarboximide)-2,6-diyl]-alt-5,5'-(2,2'-bithiophene)} (N2200). The findings highlight the robustness and efficiency of cation exchange doping as an effective approach for achieving high-quality n-type doping in conjugated polymers, thereby opening new avenues for the development of advanced polymer-based electronic devices.

Is Our Limited Understanding of the Effects of Nerve Stimulation Resulting in Poor Outcomes and the Need for Better "Rescue Programming" in SNM and PTNS, and Lost Opportunities for New Sites of Stimulation? ICI-RS 2024.

Sacral neuromodulation (SNM) and percutaneous tibial nerve stimulation (PTNS) are strongly recommended by international guidelines bodies for complex lower urinary tract dysfunctions. However, treatment failure and the need for rescue programming still represent a significant need for long-term follow-up. This review aimed to describe current strategies and future directions in patients undergoing such therapies. This is a consensus report of a Think Tank discussed at the Annual Meeting of the International Consultation on Incontinence - Research Society (ICI-RS), June 6-8, 2024 (Bristol, UK): "Is our limited understanding of the effects of nerve stimulation resulting in poor outcomes and the need for better 'rescue programming' in SNM and PTNS, and lost opportunities for new sites of stimulation?" Rescue programming is important from two different perspectives: to improve patient outcomes and to enhance device longevity (for implantable devices). Standard SNM parameters have remained unchanged since its inception for the treatment of OAB, nonobstructive urinary retention, and voiding dysfunction. SNM rescue programming includes intermittent stimulation (cycling on), increased frequency and changes in pulse width (PW). The effect of PW setting on SNM outcomes remains unclear. Monopolar configurations stimulate more motor nerve fibers at lower stimulation voltage; hence, this could be an option in patients who failed bipolar stimulation in the long term. Unfortunately, there is little evidence for rescue programming for PTNS. However, the development of implantable devices for intermittent stimulation of the tibial nerve may increase long-term adherence to therapy and increase interest in alternative programming. There has been recent promising neurostimulation targeting the pudendal nerve (PNS), especially in BPS/IC. More recently, preliminary data addressed the benefits of high-frequency bilateral pudendal nerve block for DESD and adaptive PNS on both urgency and stress UI in women. The exploration of rescue programming and new stimulation sites remains underutilized, and there are opportunities that could potentially expand the therapeutic applications of nerve stimulation. By broadening the range of target sites, clinicians may be able to tailor treatments according to individual patient needs and underlying conditions, thereby improving overall outcomes. However, further studies are still needed to increase the level of evidence, potentially allowing for an individualized treatment both in patients who are candidates for electrostimulation and in those who have already received surgical implants but seek a better outcome.

Polymerizable deep eutectic solvent enables flexible gel formation for motion sensor and anti-UV film

Specific applications of gels can raise multiple demands, including low cost, elasticity, adaptability to wide temperature ranges, conductivity, and reduced hazards, thereby presenting diverse challenges for one material. Deep eutectic solvents (DESs) offer unexpected solutions to tackling the challenging task. Here, we mixed anhydrous diallyldimethylammonium chloride (DMDAAC) and urea to synthesize a polymerizable DES with a wide range of solubility. It can polymerize to form versatile DES gel upon photoinitiation. The gel exhibited high transparency (∼94 %), a wide range of temperature tolerance (−40 ∼ 100 °C), outstanding elastic properties (ε > 2400 %), good conductivity (0.05 mS·cm−1) and self-healing capability. The pristine gel film was successfully applied to motion sensors, while the DES gel with lignin was also employed as an elastic anti-UV film. Moreover, its water-solubility and non-hazardous compositions suggest the minimize environmental impact of the DES gel. This polymerizable DES can not only boost the development of electronic devices like motion sensors, but also inspire more creative ideas in promising applications of DESs and DES gels.

Effects of Functionalized Carbon Nanotube on Cellular Homeostasis of Murine Hepatocytes

Nanotechnology in medicine represents a revolution offering significant advancements in the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of diseases. This technology enables the development of devices and materials at the nanometer scale, allowing precise interactions with biological systems at the molecular and cellular levels. Among various nanomaterials, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) stand out due to their unique physical, chemical and mechanical properties. Due to their high strength, electrical and thermal conductivity and large surface area, CNTs have a wide range of applications. In healthcare they are explored for drug delivery and imaging diagnostics. CNTs can be functionalized to target drugs directly to diseased cells, minimizing side effects and enhancing treatment efficacy, additionally can be used in biosensors for early disease detection and in tissue engineering to cellular regeneration. The present study evaluated the effects of OCNT-TEPA, a multi-walled carbon nanotube functionalized, in murine hepatocytes AML-12. Cells were exposed to different concentrations of the sample for 12, 24, 48, and 72 hours. Cellular metabolism tests, cellular morphology by optical microscopy, synthesis of reactive oxygen species, changes in membrane potential and IL-6 cytokine secretion were performed. The results show that OCNT-TEPA altered the homeostasis of hepatocytes, as cellular metabolism decreased, cellular morphology was altered, the membrane experienced changes in its electrical potential, oxidative stress increased and inflammatory signaling molecules were synthesized. This alteration is dose-dependent, which may be harmful to hepatocytes at high concentrations but could be applied to the body at lower concentrations without causing harm.

Electrically-stimulated cellular and tissue events are coordinated through ion channel-mediated calcium influx and chromatin modifications across the cytosol-nucleus space

Electrical stimulation (ES) through biomaterials and devices has been implicated in activating diverse cell behaviors while facilitating tissue healing process. Despite its significance in modulating biological events, the mechanisms governing ES-activated cellular phenomena remain largely elusive. Here, we demonstrated that millisecond-pulsed temporal ES profoundly impacted a spectrum of cellular events across the membrane-cytosol-nuclear space. These include activated ion channels, intracellular calcium influx, actomyosin contractility, cell migration and proliferation, and secretome release. Such events were coordinated mainly through ES-activated ion channels and calcium oscillation dynamics. Notably, ES increased the chromatin accessibility of genes, particularly those associated with the ES-activated cellular events, underscoring the significance of epigenetic changes in ES-induced behavioral outcomes. We identified histone acetylation (mediated by histone acetyltransferases), among other chromatin modifications, is key in reshaping the chromatin landscape upon ES. These observations were further validated through experiments involving ex vivo skin tissue samples, including activated ion channels and calcium influx, increased cell proliferation and actomyosin contractility, elevated secretome profile, and more accessible chromatin structure following ES. This work provides novel insights into the mechanisms underlying ES-activated cell and tissue events, ultimately guiding design principles for the development of electrical devices and materials effective for tissue repair and wound healing.

Mechanochromic 3D Soft Photonic Crystals Enabled Anticounterfeiting and Encryption Information Storage

AbstractInspired by the color‐changing abilities of natural organisms, this research focuses on the design and fabrication of mechanochromic liquid crystal photonic crystal thin films with periodic self‐assembly structures. Benefiting from its unique 3D self‐assembled structure with a body‐centered cubic lattice, BP I film exhibits excellent mechanical properties, characterized by superior elasticity and toughness due to the presence of rigid and flexible microdomains and suitable dislocation line volumes. As the strain increases, the structural color of the BP I film demonstrates a repeatable and rapid shift from red to blue, covering the entire visible light spectrum with high reflectivity. The incorporation of fluorescent molecules further enhances the mechanical properties and endowing the film with circularly polarized luminescence under UV light irradiation. Utilizing different fluorescent dyes as inks, arbitrary patterned writing can be performed on the BPI film, enabling specific information hiding and encryption. The prepared label exhibits excellent environmental stability, presenting promising applications in information storage, anti‐counterfeiting, and flexible 3D displays. The study may contribute to a deeper understanding of the relationship between microstructure, mechanical deformation, and optical properties, potentially advancing the development of innovative responsive materials and multifunctional devices.

High Performance Infrared InAs Colloidal Quantum Dot Photodetector with 79% EQE Enabled by an Extended Absorber Layer

AbstractColloidal quantum dots (CQDs) with tunable bandgaps in the NIR‐SWIR range are highly valued for infrared applications including LiDAR, interactive displays, and biometrics. Particularly, for environmental considerations, photodetectors (PDs) using InAs CQDs are actively being explored. However, their performance still lags behind that of Pb‐based devices. Herein, an effective strategy to improve the photodetection characteristics of InAs CQD PDs by enhancing the incident photon usage is presented. By engineering the solvent of InAs CQD ink to increase volatility, the controllable range of absorber layer thickness is substantially extended. Then, the thickness‐ and bias‐dependent performance of InAs CQD PDs are systematically studied, guided by optical simulations. Under optimal conditions, an external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 79%, a responsivity of 0.6 AW−1–the highest reported for InAs CQD photodiodes, and a detectivity of 3.1 × 1011 Jones at 940 nm are achieved. Furthermore, it is found that increasing the absorber layer thickness reduces device capacitance, resulting in a faster response time of 46 ns. This study provides optical and electrical insights into how absorber layer thickness affects InAs CQD PD performance and outlines design principles for high‐performance optoelectronic devices with specified light‐absorbing layers, paving the way for the development of advanced optoelectronic devices.

Colloidal Ag2SbBiSe4 nanocrystals as n‑type thermoelectric materials

Materials with low intrinsic thermal conductivity are essential for the development of high-performance thermoelectric devices. At the same time, the solution processing of these materials may enable the cost-effective production of the devices. Herein, we detail a high-yield and scalable colloidal synthesis route to produce Ag2SbBiSe4 nanocrystals (NCs) using amine-thiol-Se chemistry. The quaternary chalcogenide material is consolidated by a rapid hot-press maintaining the cubic crystalline structure. Transport measurements confirm that n-type Ag2SbBiSe4 exhibits an inherently ultralow lattice thermal conductivity of ca. 0.34 W m−1K−1 at 760 K. Moreover, a modulation doping strategy based on the blending of semiconductor Ag2SbBiSe4 and metallic Sn NCs is demonstrated to control the charge carrier concentration in the final composite material. The introduction of Sn nanodomains additionally blocks phonon propagation thus contributing to reducing the thermal conductivity of the final material. Ultimately, a peak thermoelectric figure of merit value of 0.64 at 760 K is achieved for n-type Ag2SbBiSe4-Sn nanocomposites that also demonstrate a notable Vickers hardness of 185 HV.