Investigation of Nanophase Materials for Thermoelectric Applications

摘要

The goal of this research project is to develop an understanding of transport properties in nanometer-scale materials and to determine if engineering a material structure using nanometer-sized particles as building blocks can increase the intrinsic thermoelectric efficiency. The project involved a close collaboration between the University of New Orleans and IBM T. J. Watson Research Center. Our major accomplishments include the chemical synthesis of nanoparticles, nanorods and nanowires of lead chalcogenide, bismuth calcogenide and bismuth antimony materials. We have also formed semiconductor nanoparticle/conducting polymer nanocomposites and studied the thermoelectric properties of these materials. We have also made contributions to new, pressure- dependent thermoelectric transport measurement techniques and chemical techniques for creating ordered nanoparticle assemblies consisting of two different nanoparticle materials.