Unveiling transport properties in rare-earth-substituted nanostructured bismuth telluride for thermoelectric application
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Muhammad Waqas
,
Muhammad Nadeem
,
Ahmar Ali
Abstract
Thermoelectrics is an emerging technology in the field of renewable energy sources, and the exploration of doped materials has opened up new avenues for enhancing their performance. La-doped thermoelectric materials with the composition Bi2−xLa x Te3 (x = 0.0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4) were synthesized using the WOWS sol–gel method and sintered at 500 °C for 5 h. X-ray diffraction analysis confirmed a rhombohedral crystal structure with lattice constants of a = b = 4.41(2) Å and c = 29.81(3) Å. Scanning electron microscopy revealed particle-like shapes (0.7–2.5 μm). Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy confirmed the single-phase nature of the samples. DC electrical measurements showed increasing conductivity with temperature. AC electrical analysis demonstrated frequency-dependent behavior with increasing AC conductivity and decreasing loss factor and dielectric constants. Seebeck coefficient measurements exhibited temperature-dependent behavior. Thermal transport properties showed increasing thermal conductivity and volumetric specific heat with temperature, while thermal diffusivity decreased. The composition Bi1.9La0.1Te3 with x = 0.1 doping displayed lower thermal conductivity, higher electrical conductivity, and a higher ZT value, making it more suitable for thermoelectric applications. Furthermore, the sample Bi1.8La0.2Te3 exhibited favorable characteristics for energy storage applications compared to the other samples. These findings provide insights into the potential applications of La-doped bismuth telluride compounds in thermoelectric and energy storage systems.
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Author contributions: All the authors have accepted responsibility for the entire content of this submitted manuscript and approved the submission.
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Competing interest: The authors declare no conflicts of interest regarding this article.
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Research funding: None declared.
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Data availability: The data used to support the findings of this study are included in the article.
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Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- General
- Impact of temperature asymmetry and small fraction of static positive ions on the relaxed states of a relativistic hot pair plasma
- Dynamical Systems & Nonlinear Phenomena
- Similarity solutions for cylindrical shock wave in a self-gravitating and rotating gas under the influence of monochromatic radiation and azimuthal or axial magnetic field by using Lie invariance method
- Chaotic dynamics of an extended Duffing-van der Pol system with a non-smooth perturbation and parametric excitation
- Hydrodynamics
- On the limitations of the complex wave velocity for the heterogeneous swirling flows
- Solid State Physics & Materials Science
- Photocatalytic decomposition of Congo red dye by black paste@TiO2 as an efficient recyclable photocatalyst
- Theoretical investigation on the elastic and mechanical properties of high-entropy alloys with partial replacement of Sc in Hf0.25Ti0.25Zr0.25Sc0.25−xAl x (x ≤ 15 %)
- Synthesis, structure, and luminescence properties of double perovskites Ba2.9Sr0.1WO6: Eu3+ red emitting phosphor
- Unveiling transport properties in rare-earth-substituted nanostructured bismuth telluride for thermoelectric application
Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- General
- Impact of temperature asymmetry and small fraction of static positive ions on the relaxed states of a relativistic hot pair plasma
- Dynamical Systems & Nonlinear Phenomena
- Similarity solutions for cylindrical shock wave in a self-gravitating and rotating gas under the influence of monochromatic radiation and azimuthal or axial magnetic field by using Lie invariance method
- Chaotic dynamics of an extended Duffing-van der Pol system with a non-smooth perturbation and parametric excitation
- Hydrodynamics
- On the limitations of the complex wave velocity for the heterogeneous swirling flows
- Solid State Physics & Materials Science
- Photocatalytic decomposition of Congo red dye by black paste@TiO2 as an efficient recyclable photocatalyst
- Theoretical investigation on the elastic and mechanical properties of high-entropy alloys with partial replacement of Sc in Hf0.25Ti0.25Zr0.25Sc0.25−xAl x (x ≤ 15 %)
- Synthesis, structure, and luminescence properties of double perovskites Ba2.9Sr0.1WO6: Eu3+ red emitting phosphor
- Unveiling transport properties in rare-earth-substituted nanostructured bismuth telluride for thermoelectric application
