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Prospects for Bismuth Nanowires as Thermoelectrics

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 February 2011

M. S. Dresselhausa ,
Z. Zhang ,
X. Sun ,
J. Y. Ying ,
J. Heremans ,
G. Dresselhaus  and
G. Chen
M. S. Dresselhausa
Affiliation:
Department of Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139 Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139
Z. Zhang
Affiliation:
Department of Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139
X. Sun
Affiliation:
Department of Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139
J. Y. Ying
Affiliation:
Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139
J. Heremans
Affiliation:
Physics and Physical Chemistry Department, General Motors R&D Center, Warren, MI 48090–9055
G. Dresselhaus
Affiliation:
Francis Bitter Magnet Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139
G. Chen
Affiliation:
Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095–1597
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Abstract

The small effective mass of Bi, high anisotropy of its Fermi surface, and the high aspect ratio (length/diameter) of Bi nanowires make this an excellent system for studying quantum confinement effects of a one-dimensional (ID) electron gas in relation to electrical conductivity, thermoelectric power, and thermal conductivity. A theoretical model based on the basic electronic band structure of bulk Bi is suitably modified to describe 1D bismuth nanowires and is used to predict the dependence of these transport properties on nanowire diameter, temperature and crystalline orientation of the bismuth nanowires. Experiments have been carried out on ultra-fine single crystal Bi nanowires (10–120 nm diameter) with a packing density as high as 7 × 1010 wires/cm2 to test the quantum confinement assumptions of the model and the occurrence of a quantum confinement-induced semimetal-to-semiconductor transition as the wire diameter becomes less than 100 nm. Prospects for the use of bismuth nanowires for thermoelectric applications are discussed.

Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 545: Symposium Z – Thermoelectric Materials 1998 - The Next Generation… , 1998 , 215
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 1999

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