Nanostructured Bismuth Telluride Thin Films - Advancing the Capability of Thermoelectric Materials

纳米结构碲化铋薄膜 - 提高热电材料的性能

• 批准号: ST/L003376/1
• 负责人: G Reid
• 金额: $ 11.05万
• 依托单位: University of Southampton
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Research Grant
• 财政年份: 2014
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2014 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=ST%2FL003376%2F1
• 关键词: Nanostructured; Bismuth; Telluride; Thin; Films

Thermoelectric (TE) materials can be used to convert thermal energy into electricity. Their properties are based on one of two phenomena, the Seebeck effect (for power generation) and the Peltier effect (for electronic cooling or heating). A TE device is formed when an n-type doped material is connected electrically in series and thermally in parallel across a temperature differential to a p-type doped material, so that current flows between the two. TE generators have a number of very favourable features as they offer solid-state operation, have no mechanical parts that can wear out, require little maintenance, have long lifetimes, produce zero emissions and are compact compared with heat engines. Despite this, currently they are used only in niche applications because of the low thermoelectric efficiency of the existing materials. Solid state TE devices offer a promising route to efficient and sustainable electrical power harvesting from low grade waste heat produced in internal combustion engines, and in energy-intensive industrial processes, for example refineries and glass furnaces. For low temperature waste heat and natural heat sources, there is no competing technology, thus a huge opportunity exists. However, key barriers need to be overcome in order to make the application of TEs in these areas practicable, particularly to increase the thermoelectric efficiency and reduce the material volume required to create functional TE devices. Nanostructuring TE materials can lead to very significant increases in efficiency (due to both quantum confinement effects and reductions in lattice thermal conductivity). An important target, therefore, is the development of low-cost methods by which nanostructured thermoelectric materials can be produced.Bismuth telluride, Bi2Te3, is a narrow band gap semiconductor whose alloys are commonly used in commercial TE devices as they have among the best room temperature thermoelectric properties of known bulk materials. It has been demonstrated that nanostructuring of thermoelectric materials can lead to significant increases in efficiency. A key current limitation at present is in achieving precise spatial control of material growth, morphology and orientation on the nanoscale. Under a project funded by STFC we have developed a novel single source chemical vapour deposition (CVD) reagent and method that significantly enhances the ability to deposit high quality thin films of Bi2Te3 TEMs with very high area selectivity onto micropatterned surfaces. This application is focussed on achieving key milestones to establish the commercial potential of this deposition method, with the target of increasing the thermoelectric figure of merit (ZT) to ca. 2, which would mean energy harvesting from industrial plants would be achievable.

热电（TE）材料可用于将热能转化为电能。它们的特性基于两种现象之一，塞贝克效应（用于发电）和珀尔帖效应（用于电子冷却或加热）。当n型掺杂材料与p型掺杂材料电串联连接并且跨越温差热并联连接，使得电流在两者之间流动时，形成TE器件。TE发电机具有许多非常有利的功能，因为它们提供固态操作，没有可能磨损的机械部件，几乎不需要维护，寿命长，零排放，并且与热力发动机相比紧凑。尽管如此，由于现有材料的热电效率低，目前它们仅用于利基应用。固态TE器件为从内燃机和能源密集型工业过程（例如炼油厂和玻璃熔炉）中产生的低品位废热中高效、可持续地获取电力提供了一条有前途的途径。对于低温余热和自然热源，没有竞争技术，因此存在巨大的机会。然而，关键的障碍需要克服，以使TE在这些领域的应用切实可行，特别是提高热电效率和减少所需的材料体积，以创建功能TE设备。纳米结构化TE材料可以导致效率的非常显著的增加（由于量子限制效应和晶格热导率的降低）。因此，一个重要的目标是开发低成本的方法，通过该方法可以生产纳米结构热电材料。碲化铋，Bi2Te3，是一种窄带隙半导体，其合金通常用于商业TE设备，因为它们具有已知块体材料中最好的室温热电性能。已经证明，热电材料的纳米结构化可以导致效率的显著增加。目前的一个关键限制是在纳米尺度上实现材料生长、形态和取向的精确空间控制。在STFC资助的一个项目下，我们开发了一种新型的单源化学气相沉积（CVD）试剂和方法，该试剂和方法显著增强了在微图案化表面上以非常高的面积选择性存款高质量Bi2Te3 TEM薄膜的能力。该应用程序的重点是实现关键的里程碑，以建立这种沉积方法的商业潜力，其目标是将热电优值（ZT）提高到约100%。2，这意味着从工业工厂收集能源是可以实现的。

项目成果

Controlling the nanostructure of bismuth telluride by selective chemical vapour deposition from a single source precursor

• DOI: 10.1039/c4ta00341a
• 发表时间: 2014-03
• 期刊: Journal of Materials Chemistry
• 作者: Sophie L. Benjamin;C. K. de Groot;Chitra Gurnani;Andrew L. Hector;R. Huang;E. Koukharenko;W. Levason;G. Reid

Improved thermoelectric performance of Bi2Se3 alloyed Bi2Te3 thin films via low pressure chemical vapour deposition

• DOI: 10.1016/j.jallcom.2020.156523
• 发表时间: 2020-08
• 期刊: Journal of Alloys and Compounds
• 影响因子: 6.2
• 作者: Daniel W. Newbrooka;Stephen P. Richardsb;Victoria K. Greenacreb;A. Hectorb;W. Levasonb;Gillian Reidb-Gillian-Reid

Chemical vapour deposition of antimony chalcogenides with positional and orientational control: precursor design and substrate selectivity

• DOI: 10.1039/c4tc02327g
• 发表时间: 2015-01-01
• 期刊: JOURNAL OF MATERIALS CHEMISTRY C
• 影响因子: 6.4
• 作者: Benjamin, S. L.;de Groot, C. H.;Reid, G.
• 通讯作者: Reid, G.

Niobium(V) and tantalum(V) halide chalcogenoether complexes--towards single source CVD precursors for ME2 thin films.

铌 (V) 和钽 (V) 卤化物硫族醚络合物——面向 ME2 薄膜的单一来源 CVD 前驱体。

• DOI: 10.1039/c4dt02694b
• 发表时间: 2014
• 期刊: 2003)
• 作者: Benjamin SL