Effects of Hydrothermaly Synthesized Sb2Se3 Nanowires on the Thermoelectric Properties of Bi2Te3 Nanopowders

Sb2Se3 nanowires were synthesized by a hydrothermal method at 150 Degrees for 3, 6,12 and 24 h using SbCl3 and Se powder as the precursors, N2H4·H2O as reductant. X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscope (TEM), field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) and high-resolution TEM (HRTEM) were applied to analyze the phase distributions, microstructures and grain sizes of the nanostructured Sb2Se3. It was found that the pure orthorhombic Sb2Se3 nanowires were formed at 150 Degrees for 24h by the hydrothermal synthesis method. The reaction mechanism and crystal growth mechanism of Sb2Se3 nanowires were investigated in the light of the experimental results. The Sb2Se3 nanowires grow along the [001] direction. The formation mechanism is mainly related to the special crystal structure of Sb2Se3. The TE properties of SPS nanocomposites of Bi2Te3 with different amount of Sb2Se3 nanowires were investigated. The addition of 1 at% Sb2Se3 nanowires can improve the electric properties of the Bi2Te3 nanopowders.