Growth and Characterization of 1D Bi_2Te_3 Nanowires

摘要

Bulk bismuth telluride (Bi_2Te_3) is one of the best known thermoelectric materials with a figure of merit ZT ～1 at room temperature. Theoretical studies have suggested that low-dimensional materials may exhibit ZT values that exceed 1. In this study, we used the pulsed laser vaporization (PLV) method to prepare Bi_2Te_3 nanowires on silicon and quartz substrates by ablating Bi_2Te_3 targets in an inert atmosphere. Nano-sized gold or iron catalyst particles were used to seed the growth of the Bi_2Te_3 nanowires. Results from electron microscopy and Raman spectroscopy are discussed.