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Updated: Jul 8, 2026

Fabrication of Bi2Te3 and Sb2Te3 Thermoelectric Thin Films using Radio Frequency Magnetron Sputtering Technique
Published on: May 17, 2024
Complex thermoelectric materials
G Jeffrey Snyder1, Eric S Toberer
1Materials Science, California Institute of Technology, 1200 East California Boulevard, Pasadena, California 91125, USA. jsnyder@caltech.edu
Abstract:
Thermoelectric materials, which can generate electricity from waste heat or be used as solid-state Peltier coolers, could play an important role in a global sustainable energy solution. Such a development is contingent on identifying materials with higher thermoelectric efficiency than available at present, which is a challenge owing to the conflicting combination of material traits that are required. Nevertheless, because of modern synthesis and characterization techniques, particularly for nanoscale materials, a new era of complex thermoelectric materials is approaching. We review recent advances in the field, highlighting the strategies used to improve the thermopower and reduce the thermal conductivity.
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