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Title: Prediction of Bi2Te3-Sb2Te3 Interfacial Conductance and Superlattice Thermal Conductivity Using Molecular Dynamics Simulations

Journal Article · · ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces

Bismuth telluride (Bi2Te3) and its alloys with antimony telluride (Sb2Te3) have long been considered to be the best room-temperature bulk thermoelectric (TE) materials. In recent decades, proof-of-concept demonstrations on Bi2Te3-Sb2Te3 nanostructures have shown high TE performance due to reduction in lattice thermal conductivities. Particularly, ultra-low thermal conductivities have been observed in Bi2Te3-Sb2Te3 1D superlattices, leading to thermoelectric figures of merit (ZT) as high as 2.4. In contrast, very few computational studies have been performed to provide insight into the phonon transport across these nanostructures. In this work, we use non-equilibrium molecular dynamics simulations with previously developed force fields to simulate thermal transport across Bi2Te3-Sb2Te3 interfaces and superlattices. We first calculate the thermal conductance associated with a Bi2Te3-Sb2Te3 interface across a temperature range of 200–400 K. Furthermore, the values are also compared with thermal conductances calculated by a modified Landauer transport formalism using phonon transmission coefficients obtained from the diffuse mismatch model. Our results show that inelastic scattering processes contribute to an increase in interfacial thermal conductance at higher temperatures. Finally, we calculate the thermal conductivities of Bi2Te3-Sb2Te3 superlattices with varying period lengths from 2 to 18 nm. A minimum thermal conductivity of 0.27 W/mK is observed at a period length of 4 nm, which is attributed to the competition between incoherent and coherent phonon transport regimes. In comparison with previous experimental measurements in the literature, our results show good agreement with respect to the range of thermal conductivity values and the period length corresponding to the minimum superlattice thermal conductivity.

Research Organization:
Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE); Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)
Grant/Contract Number:
AC05-00OR22725; HR0011-15-2-0037
OSTI ID:
1764459
Journal Information:
ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces, Vol. 13, Issue 3; ISSN 1944-8244
Publisher:
American Chemical Society (ACS)Copyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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