Preparation and Characterization of New Fulleride Materials for Thermoelectric Applications

Abstract

A wide variety of fullerene based materials has shown great promise for energy conversion applications such as thermoelectric and photovoltaic devices. With their intrinsically low thermal conductivities, fullerene based materials may offer several advantages for thermoelectric applications over traditional inorganic based thermoelectric materials. Fulleride materials have already shown electrical properties spanning from the insulative to superconductive regimes. In order to rapidly advance the development of new transition metal fullerides, a thin film approach, novel wet chemical method, and chemical vapor deposition method were explored. Materials formed from these synthesis routes have been found to retain their low thermal conductivities. A present focus is on Raman spectral analysis for preliminary determination of the materials' stoichiometries.