Thermoelectric Properties of Reduced Graphene Oxide/Bi₂Te₃ Nanocomposites

Abstract

Reduced graphene oxide (rGO)/Bi2Te3 nanocomposite powders with different contents of rGO have been synthesized by a one-step in-situ reductive method. Then, rGO/Bi2Te3 nanocomposite bulk materials were fabricated by a hot-pressing process. The effect of rGO contents on the composition, microstructure, TE properties, and carrier transportation of the nanocomposite bulk materials has been investigated. All the composite bulk materials show negative Seebeck coefficient, indicating n-type conduction. The electrical conductivity for all the rGO/Bi2Te3 nanocomposite bulk materials decreased with increasing measurement temperature from 25 °C to 300 °C, while the absolute value of Seebeck coefficient first increased and then decreased. As a result, the power factor of the bulk materials first increased and then decreased, and a power factor of 1340 μWm−1K−2 was achieved for the nanocomposite bulk materials with 0.25 wt% rGO at 150 °C.

Keywords

• reduced graphene oxide
• Bi₂Te₃
• composite
• thermoelectric