Effect of nanoparticle scattering on thermoelectric power factor
- 18 May 2009
- journal article
- research article
- Published by AIP Publishing in Applied Physics Letters
- Vol. 94 (20), 202105
- https://doi.org/10.1063/1.3132057
Abstract
The effect of nanoparticles on the thermoelectric power factor is investigated using the relaxation time approximation. The partial-wave technique is used for calculating the nanoparticle scattering cross section exactly. We validate our model by comparing its results to the experimental data obtained for ErAs:InGaAlAs samples. We use the theory to maximize the power factor with respect to nanoparticle and electron concentrations as well as the barrier height. We found that at the optimum of the power factor, the electron concentration is usually higher in the sample with nanoparticles, implying that Seebeck is usually unchanged and conductivity is increased.Keywords
This publication has 7 references indexed in Scilit:
- Theory of enhancement of thermoelectric properties of materials with nanoinclusionsPhysical Review B, 2008
- Ordering of ErAs nanoparticles embedded in epitaxial InGaAs layersApplied Physics Letters, 2007
- Cross-plane Seebeck coefficient of ErAs:InGaAs∕InGaAlAs superlatticesJournal of Applied Physics, 2007
- Cross-plane lattice and electronic thermal conductivities of ErAs:InGaAs∕InGaAlAs superlatticesApplied Physics Letters, 2006
- Introduction to Numerical AnalysisPublished by Springer Science and Business Media LLC ,1980
- Electron scattering in InSbJournal of Physics and Chemistry of Solids, 1957
- The theory of electronic conduction in polar semi-conductorsProceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series A - Mathematical and Physical Sciences, 1953