First-principles calculations of thermoelectric properties of TiN/MgO superlattices: The route for an enhancement of thermoelectric effects in artificial nanostructures
- National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS), 1-1 Namiki, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0044 (Japan)
- Institute of Applied Physics, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tennodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8573 (Japan)
- Smart Energy Research Laboratories, NEC Corporation, 34 Miyukigaoka, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8501 (Japan)
We present the thermoelectric properties of TiN/MgO superlattices employing first-principles calculation techniques. The Seebeck coefficients, the electrical conductances, the thermal conductances, and the figure of merit are investigated employing electrical and thermal transport calculations based on density functional theory combined with the nonequilibrium Green's function and nonequilibrium molecular dynamics simulation methods. The TiN/MgO superlattices with a small lattice mismatch at the interfaces are ideal systems to study the way for an enhancement of thermoelectric properties in artificial nanostructures. We find that the interfacial scattering between the two materials in the metal/insulator superlattices causes the electrical conductance to change rapidly, which enhances the Seebeck coefficient significantly. We show that the figure of merit for the artificial superlattice nanostructures has a much larger value compared with that of the bulk material and changes drastically with the superlattice configurations at the atomistic level.
- OSTI ID:
- 22494856
- Journal Information:
- Journal of Applied Physics, Journal Name: Journal of Applied Physics Journal Issue: 1 Vol. 119; ISSN JAPIAU; ISSN 0021-8979
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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