TY - JOUR
T1 - Controllable Colloidal Synthesis of Tin(II) Chalcogenide Nanocrystals and Their Solution-Processed Flexible Thermoelectric Thin Films
AU - Yin, Deqiang
AU - Dun, Chaochao
AU - Gao, Xiang
AU - Liu, Yang
AU - Zhang, Xian
AU - Carroll, David L.
AU - Swihart, Mark T.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim
PY - 2018/8/16
Y1 - 2018/8/16
N2 - A systematic colloidal synthesis approach to prepare tin(II, IV) chalcogenide nanocrystals with controllable valence and morphology is reported, and the preparation of solution-processed nanostructured thermoelectric thin films from them is then demonstrated. Triangular SnS nanoplates with a recently-reported π-cubic structure, SnSe with various shapes (nanostars and both rectangular and hexagonal nanoplates), SnTe nanorods, and previously reported Sn(IV) chalcogenides, are obtained using different combinations of solvents and ligands with an Sn4+ precursor. These unique nanostructures and the lattice defects associated with their Sn-rich composition allow the production of flexible thin films with competitive thermoelectric performance, exhibiting room temperature Seebeck coefficients of 115, 81, and 153 μV K−1 for SnS, SnSe, and SnTe films, respectively. Interestingly, a p-type to n-type transition is observed in SnS and SnSe due to partial anion loss during post-synthesis annealing at 500 °C. A maximum figure of merit (ZT) value of 0.183 is achieved for an SnTe thin film at 500 K, exceeding ZT values from previous reports on SnTe at this temperature. Thus, a general strategy to prepare tin(II) chalcogenide nanocrystals is provided, and their potential for use in high-performance flexible thin film thermoelectric generators is demonstrated.
AB - A systematic colloidal synthesis approach to prepare tin(II, IV) chalcogenide nanocrystals with controllable valence and morphology is reported, and the preparation of solution-processed nanostructured thermoelectric thin films from them is then demonstrated. Triangular SnS nanoplates with a recently-reported π-cubic structure, SnSe with various shapes (nanostars and both rectangular and hexagonal nanoplates), SnTe nanorods, and previously reported Sn(IV) chalcogenides, are obtained using different combinations of solvents and ligands with an Sn4+ precursor. These unique nanostructures and the lattice defects associated with their Sn-rich composition allow the production of flexible thin films with competitive thermoelectric performance, exhibiting room temperature Seebeck coefficients of 115, 81, and 153 μV K−1 for SnS, SnSe, and SnTe films, respectively. Interestingly, a p-type to n-type transition is observed in SnS and SnSe due to partial anion loss during post-synthesis annealing at 500 °C. A maximum figure of merit (ZT) value of 0.183 is achieved for an SnTe thin film at 500 K, exceeding ZT values from previous reports on SnTe at this temperature. Thus, a general strategy to prepare tin(II) chalcogenide nanocrystals is provided, and their potential for use in high-performance flexible thin film thermoelectric generators is demonstrated.
KW - SnS
KW - SnSe
KW - SnTe
KW - flexible thin films
KW - thermoelectrics
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U2 - 10.1002/smll.201801949
DO - 10.1002/smll.201801949
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85050828034
SN - 1613-6810
VL - 14
JO - Small
JF - Small
IS - 33
M1 - 1801949
ER -