title: 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Yonsei University, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Seung Hyun
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Wooyoung
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Shim
authors.forename: So Young
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Jang
authors.forename: Jong Wook
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Roh
authors.forename: Philip
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Jeunghee
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Wooyoung
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Lee