Unlocking the Potential of Porous Bi2Te3-Based Thermoelectrics Using Precise Interface Engineering through Atomic Layer Deposition

Seunghyeok Lee; Gwang Min Park; Younghoon Kim; So-Hyeon Lee; Sung-Jin Jung; Junpyo Hong; Sung-Chul Kim; Sung Ok Won; Albert S Lee; Yoon Jang Chung; Ju-Young Kim; Heesuk Kim; Seung-Hyub Baek; Jin-Sang Kim; Tae Joo Park; Seong Keun Kim

doi:10.1021/acsami.4c01946

Unlocking the Potential of Porous Bi₂Te₃-Based Thermoelectrics Using Precise Interface Engineering through Atomic Layer Deposition

ACS Appl Mater Interfaces. 2024 Apr 10;16(14):17683-17691. doi: 10.1021/acsami.4c01946. Epub 2024 Mar 26.

Authors

Seunghyeok Lee^{1

2}, Gwang Min Park^{1

3}, Younghoon Kim⁴, So-Hyeon Lee⁵, Sung-Jin Jung¹, Junpyo Hong^{6

7}, Sung-Chul Kim⁸, Sung Ok Won⁸, Albert S Lee^{6

7}, Yoon Jang Chung⁹, Ju-Young Kim^{4

5}, Heesuk Kim¹⁰, Seung-Hyub Baek¹, Jin-Sang Kim¹¹, Tae Joo Park², Seong Keun Kim^{1

3}

Affiliations

¹ Electronic Materials Research Center, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Seoul 02792, South Korea.
² Department of Materials Science and Chemical Engineering, Hanyang University, Ansan 15588, South Korea.
³ KU-KIST Graduate School of Converging Science and Technology, Korea University, Seoul 02841, South Korea.
⁴ Graduate School of Materials and Devices, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), Ulsan 44919, South Korea.
⁵ Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), Ulsan 44919, South Korea.
⁶ Materials Architecturing Research Center, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Seoul 02792, South Korea.
⁷ Convergence Research Center for Solutions to Electromagnetic Interference in Future-Mobility, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Seoul 02792, South Korea.
⁸ Advanced Analysis and Data Center, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Seoul 02792, South Korea.
⁹ Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Korea University, Seoul 02841, South Korea.
¹⁰ Soft Hybrid Materials Research Center, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Seoul 02792, South Korea.
¹¹ Institute of Advanced Composite Materials, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Wanju 55324, South Korea.

PMID: 38531014
DOI: 10.1021/acsami.4c01946

Abstract

Porous thermoelectric materials offer exciting prospects for improving the thermoelectric performance by significantly reducing the thermal conductivity. Nevertheless, porous structures are affected by issues, including restricted enhancements in performance attributed to decreased electronic conductivity and degraded mechanical strength. This study introduces an innovative strategy for overcoming these challenges using porous Bi_0.4Sb_1.6Te₃ (BST) by combining porous structuring and interface engineering via atomic layer deposition (ALD). Porous BST powder was produced by selectively dissolving KCl in a milled mixture of BST and KCl; the interfaces were engineered by coating ZnO films through ALD. This novel architecture remarkably reduced the thermal conductivity owing to the presence of several nanopores and ZnO/BST heterointerfaces, promoting efficient phonon scattering. Additionally, the ZnO coating mitigated the high resistivity associated with the porous structure, resulting in an improved power factor. Consequently, the ZnO-coated porous BST demonstrated a remarkable enhancement in thermoelectric efficiency, with a maximum zT of approximately 1.53 in the temperature range of 333-353 K, and a zT of 1.44 at 298 K. Furthermore, this approach plays a significant role in enhancing the mechanical strength, effectively mitigating a critical limitation of porous structures. These findings open new avenues for the development of advanced porous thermoelectric materials and highlight their potential for precise interface engineering through the ALD.

Keywords: Bi2Te3; ZnO; atomic layer deposition; porous materials; thermoelectric.