Solvothermal preparation and thermoelectric properties of ternary Sn-Bi-Te alloy

Ternary Sn-Bi-Te nanoparticles were directly synthesized by a solvothermal process based on the reaction between BiCl₃, SnCl₂, Te, and KBH₄ in N,N-dimethylformamide at 100-180 °C. KBH₄ was used as a reducing agent. The microstructure of bulk sample was characterized by XRD and SEM. The sample shows p-type semiconducting behavior with disordered layered structure. The electrical resistivity, Seebeck coefficient, and thermal conductivity of the samples were measured from room temperature to about 700 K. The samples show a maximum Seebeck coefficient of 105 μV/K around 414 K and maximum thermal conductivity of 0.52 W/mK around 298 K.