Hydrothermal method for the synthesis of Sb2Te3, and Bi0.5Sb1.5Te3 nanoplates and their thermoelectric properties

In this study, a modified hydrothermal method is reported for the preparation of Sb2Te3 and Bi0.5Sb1.5Te3 nanoplates and their bulk samples was prepared by spark plasma sintering (SPS). The crystal structure, morphology, and thermoelectric properties were investigated. The microstructure results indicate that the bulk samples consisted nanograins after SPS. The presence of nanograins, high Seebeck coefficient (181 μV/K), high electrical conductivity (763 Ω−1 cm−1), and low thermal conductivity (1.15 W/mK) has been achieved in Sb2Te3 nanoplate bulk samples. As a result, the dimensionless thermoelectric figure of merit (ZT) of 0.55 at 400 K was achieved. Moreover, the peak ZT shifted to higher temperature compared with other reported results found in literature.