Title

Nanostructured Bulk Silicon as an Effective Thermoelectric Material

Authors

Authors

S. K. Bux; R. G. Blair; P. K. Gogna; H. Lee; G. Chen; M. S. Dresselhaus; R. B. Kaner;J. P. Fleurial

Comments

Authors: contact us about adding a copy of your work at STARS@ucf.edu

Abbreviated Journal Title

Adv. Funct. Mater.

Keywords

FIGURE-OF-MERIT; THERMAL-CONDUCTIVITY; TRANSPORT-PROPERTIES; CARRIER; MOBILITY; GERMANIUM ALLOYS; HIGH-TEMPERATURE; DEGREES K; PHOSPHORUS; SCATTERING; EFFICIENCY; Chemistry, Multidisciplinary; Chemistry, Physical; Nanoscience &; Nanotechnology; Materials Science, Multidisciplinary; Physics, Applied; Physics, Condensed Matter

Abstract

Thermoelectric power sources have consistently demonstrated their extraordinary reliability and longevity for deep space missions and small unattended terrestrial systems. However, more efficient bulk materials and practical devices are required to improve existing technology and expand into large-scale waste heat recovery applications. Research has long focused on complex compounds that best combine the electrical properties of degenerate semiconductors with the low thermal conductivity of glassy materials. Recently it has been found that nanostructucturing is an effective method to decouple electrical and thermal transport parameters. Dramatic reductions in the lattice thermal conductivity are achieved by nanostructuring bilk silicon with limited degeneration in its electron mobility, leading to an unprecedented increase by a factor of 3.5 in its performance over that of the parent single-crystal material. This makes nanostructured bulk (nano-bulk) Si an effective high temperature thermoelectric material that performs at about 70% the level of state-or-the-art Si(0.8)Ge(0.2) but without the need for expensive and rare Ge.

Journal Title

Advanced Functional Materials

Volume

19

Issue/Number

15

Publication Date

1-1-2009

Document Type

Article

Language

English

First Page

2445

Last Page

2452

WOS Identifier

WOS:000269021500012

ISSN

1616-301X

Share

COinS