Enhanced thermoelectric efficiency in nanocrystalline bismuth telluride nanotubes

We report on the thermal and thermoelectric properties of individual nanocrystalline Bi₂ Te₃ nanotubes synthesized by the solution phase method using 3ω method and a microfabricated testbench. Measurements show that the nanotubes offer improved ZT compared to bulk Bi₂Te₃ near room temperature due to an enhanced Seebeck coefficient and suppressed thermal conductivity. This improvement in ZT originates from the nanocrystalline nature and low dimensionality of the nanotubes. Domain boundary filtering of low-energy electrons provides an enhanced Seebeck coefficient. The scattering of phonons at the surface of the nanotube leads to suppressed thermal conductivity. These have been theoretically analyzed using the Boltzmann equation based on the relaxation time approximation and Landauer approach. This work clearly demonstrates the possibility of achieving enhancement in thermoelectric efficiency by combining nanocrystalline and low-dimensional systems.