Thermoelectric properties of Si/Ge nano-composite

Abstract

In this study, we developed a nano-composite approach to make bulk materials with nanostructures that have lower thermal conductivity than their bulk alloy counterparts. Room temperature measurement results of Si/Ge composites with nano-particle shows lower thermal conductivity than that of Si/Ge composites made with micro-sized particles. For high density sample, we also observed thermal conductivity reduction without deterioration of electrical conductivity so that higher ZT than bulk alloy is achieved.