Enhancement of Seebeck coefficient in Sb-rich Sb2Te3 thin film

The influence of excess antimony (Sb) on the Seebeck coefficient of antimony telluride (Sb2Te3) was investigated. Sb-rich Sb2Te3 thin film experimentally acquires Seebeck coefficient of 536 µV K−1 at room temperature, almost six times of stoichiometric Sb2Te3 thin film 90 µV K−1. The prominent enhancement of Seebeck coefficient could be attributed to carrier energy filtering effect at Sb/Sb2Te3 nanocrystal boundaries, evidenced by a set of characterizations. Meanwhile, Sb-rich Sb2Te3 thin film behaves low thermal conductivity. This experiment result implies that by altering Sb content, various Seebeck coefficients would be acquired in Sb-rich Sb2Te3 films. The highly thermoelectricity performance is especially appropriate for thermo-electric device such as thermoelectric sensor.