Preparation and Thermoelectric Properties of Yttrium-Doped Bi2Te3 Flower-Like Nanopowders
Yttrium-doped YxBi2−xTe3 (x = 0.15, 0.2, 0.25) flower-like nanopowders were synthesized by the hydrothermal method through careful adjustment of the amount of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid surfactant. The flower-like nanopowders were hot pressed into bulk pellets, and the thermoelectric properties of the pellets were examined. The results showed that the optimized doped sample Y0.25Bi1.75Te3 had a relatively high Seebeck coefficient, a lower electrical resistivity, and a lower thermal conductivity. As a result, the figure of merit of the n-type Y0.25Bi1.75Te3 alloy reached 1.23 at 410 K.