Thermoelectric properties of Bi₁₋x̳Sbx̳ nanowires and lead salt superlattice nanowires

This thesis involves an extensive experimental and theoretical study of the thermoelectric-related transport properties of BilxSbx nanowires, and presents a theoretical framework for predicting the electrical properties of superlattice nanowires. A template-assisted fabrication scheme is employed to synthesize Bi-based nanowires by pressure injecting liquid metal alloys into the hexagonally packed cylindrical pores of anodic alumina. These nanowires possess a very high crystalline quality with a diameter-dependent crystallographic orientation along the wire axis. A theoretical model for Bil-Sbx nanowires is developed, taking into consideration the effects of cylindrical wire boundary, multiple and anisotropic carrier pockets, and non-parabolic dispersion relations. A unique semimetal-semiconductor (SM-SC) transition is predicted for these nanowires as the wire diameter decreases or as the Sb concentration increases. Also, an unusual physical phenomenon involving a very high hole density of states due to the coalescence of 10 hole carrier pockets, which is especially advantageous for improving the thermoelectric performance of p-type materials, is uncovered for BilxSbx nanowires. Various transport measurements are reported for Bi-related nanowire arrays as a function of temperature, wire diameter, Sb content, and magnetic field. R(T) measurements show distinct T dependences for semimetallic and semiconducting nanowires, as predicted by the theory, and the condition for the SM-SC transition can be clearly identified. Enhanced thermopower is observed for BilxSbx nanowires as the diameter decreases or as the Sb content increases, indicating that both quantum confinement effects and Sb alloying effects are important for improving the thermo-electric performance.

Department dc:contributor.department

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.

Grantor dc:publisher

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2003

Author dc:creator

• Lin, Yu-Ming, 1974-

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Mildred S. Dresselhaus and Jackie Y. Ying.

• Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.

Statement dc:rights

• M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/17593

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/17593