title: High-performance thermoelectric nanocomposites from nanocrystal building blocks.
abstract: The efficient conversion between thermal and electrical energy by means of durable, silent and scalable solid-state thermoelectric devices has been a long standing goal. While nanocrystalline materials have already led to substantially higher thermoelectric efficiencies, further improvements are expected to arise from precise chemical engineering of nanoscale building blocks and interfaces. Here we present a simple and versatile bottom-up strategy based on the assembly of colloidal nanocrystals to produce consolidated yet nanostructured thermoelectric materials. In the case study on the PbS-Ag system, Ag nanodomains not only contribute to block phonon propagation, but also provide electrons to the PbS host semiconductor and reduce the PbS intergrain energy barriers for charge transport. Thus, PbS-Ag nanocomposites exhibit reduced thermal conductivities and higher charge carrier concentrations and mobilities than PbS nanomaterial. Such improvements of the material transport properties provide thermoelectric figures of merit up to 1.7 at 850 K.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, Institute of Inorganic Chemistry, ETH Zürich, Vladimir Prelog Weg 1, CH-8093 Zurich, Switzerland.|Laboratory for Thin Films and Photovoltaics, Empa-Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, Dübendorf, Überlandstrasse 129, CH-8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland.|Advanced Materials Department, Catalonia Energy Research Institute - IREC, Sant Adria de Besos, Jardins de les Dones de Negre n.1, Pl. 2, 08930 Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ibáñez
authors.affiliation: Advanced Materials Department, Catalonia Energy Research Institute - IREC, Sant Adria de Besos, Jardins de les Dones de Negre n.1, Pl. 2, 08930 Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Zhishan
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.affiliation: Department of Advanced Electron Nanoscopy, Catalan Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (ICN2), CSIC and The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Campus UAB, Bellaterra, 08193 Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Aziz
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Genç
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, Institute of Inorganic Chemistry, ETH Zürich, Vladimir Prelog Weg 1, CH-8093 Zurich, Switzerland.|Laboratory for Thin Films and Photovoltaics, Empa-Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, Dübendorf, Überlandstrasse 129, CH-8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Piveteau
authors.affiliation: Advanced Materials Department, Catalonia Energy Research Institute - IREC, Sant Adria de Besos, Jardins de les Dones de Negre n.1, Pl. 2, 08930 Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ortega
authors.affiliation: Advanced Materials Department, Catalonia Energy Research Institute - IREC, Sant Adria de Besos, Jardins de les Dones de Negre n.1, Pl. 2, 08930 Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Doris
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Cadavid
authors.affiliation: Advanced Materials Department, Catalonia Energy Research Institute - IREC, Sant Adria de Besos, Jardins de les Dones de Negre n.1, Pl. 2, 08930 Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Oleksandr
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Dobrozhan
authors.affiliation: Advanced Materials Department, Catalonia Energy Research Institute - IREC, Sant Adria de Besos, Jardins de les Dones de Negre n.1, Pl. 2, 08930 Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Yu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Paul Scherrer Institute, 5232 Villigen PSI, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Maarten
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nachtegaal
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Rutgers University, 98 Brett Rd, Piscataway, New Jersey 08854-8058, USA.
authors.forename: Mona
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zebarjadi
authors.affiliation: Department of Advanced Electron Nanoscopy, Catalan Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (ICN2), CSIC and The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Campus UAB, Bellaterra, 08193 Barcelona, Spain.|Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats, ICREA, Passeig de Lluís Companys, 23 08010 Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Jordi
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0695-1726
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Arbiol
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, Institute of Inorganic Chemistry, ETH Zürich, Vladimir Prelog Weg 1, CH-8093 Zurich, Switzerland.|Laboratory for Thin Films and Photovoltaics, Empa-Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, Dübendorf, Überlandstrasse 129, CH-8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Maksym V
authors.initials: MV
authors.lastname: Kovalenko
authors.affiliation: Advanced Materials Department, Catalonia Energy Research Institute - IREC, Sant Adria de Besos, Jardins de les Dones de Negre n.1, Pl. 2, 08930 Barcelona, Spain.|Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats, ICREA, Passeig de Lluís Companys, 23 08010 Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Andreu
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cabot