Thermoelectric properties of individual single-crystalline PbTe nanowires grown by a vapor transport method

Abstract

We report the thermoelectric performance of individual PbTe nanowires with sizes ranging from 76 to 436 nm grown from a vapor transport method that synthesizes high-quality, single-crystalline PbTe nanowires. Independent measurements of temperature-dependent Seebeck coefficient (S), thermal conductivity (κ) and electrical conductivity (σ) of individual PbTe nanowires were investigated. By varying the nanowire size, the simultaneous increase and decrease of S (-130 µV K(-1)) and κ (1.2 W m(-1) K(-1)), respectively, are achieved at room temperature. Our results demonstrate the enhanced thermoelectric properties of individual single-crystalline PbTe nanowires, compared to that of bulk PbTe, and can provide guidelines for future work on nanostructured thermoelectrics based on PbTe.