On the Study of PbTe-Based Nanocomposite Thermoelectric Materials

Abstract

We Report on the Structural and Vibrational Properties of the X = 0.11 and X = 0.33 Compositions of a New Class of Nanostructured Thermoelectric System (PbTe)1-X(PbSnS2)x by Means of X-Ray Diffraction, Scanning and Transmission Electron Microscopy and Infrared Reflectivity. both Compositions Are Phase Separated, where Pbsns2 Self-Segregates from Pbte to Form Features with Dimensions Ranging from Tens of Micrometers to Tens of Nanometers. Effective Medium Approximation Was Used in Order to Determine the Volume Fraction and the Dielectric Function of the Nanoscale Pbsns2 Embedded in Pbte. by Comparing the Phonon Parameters of the Nanoscale Pbsns2 and Bulk Pbsns2 Single Crystals, we Concluded that Phonon Confinement Effects and Bilayer Thickness Anisotropy within the Pbsns2 Nanostructures Embedded within Pbte Are Responsible for the Observed Variations in the Frequencies of the Shear and the Compression Modes Not Observed in Pure Crystals of Pbsns2.