Thermal and Electrical Conduction of Single-crystal Bi(2)Te(3) Nanostructures grown using a one step process

Single-crystal Bi(2)Te(3) nanowires (NWs) and nanoribbons (NRs) were synthesized by a vapor-liquid-solid (VLS) method from Bi(2)Te(3) powder. To investigate the thermal properties of the Bi(2)Te(3) nanostructure, a nondestructive technique based on temperature dependent Raman mapping was carried out. The Raman peaks were red shifted with increasing temperature. In addition, the fraction of the laser power absorbed inside the Bi(2)Te(3) nanostructures was estimated by optical simulation and used to calculate the thermal conductivity value (κ). The thermal conductivity value obtained for the Bi(2)Te(3) NW and NR was 1.47 Wm(−1)K(−1) and 1.81 Wm(−1)K(−1) at 300 K, respectively. The electrical conductivity of the Bi(2)Te(3) nanostructure was also measured. In particular, an excellent electrical conductivity value of 1.22 * 10(3 )Ω(−1) cm(−1) was obtained for the Bi(2)Te(3) NW at 300 K. This result can be attributed to topological insulator surface states. As a result of our study, the figure of merit (ZT) for the Bi(2)Te(3) NW and NR can be significantly improved.