Nanostructuring Bi2Te3-Based Thermoelectric Thin-Films Grown Using Pulsed Laser Deposition

This book chapter reports recent advances in nanostructured Bi2Te3-based thermoelectric (TE) thin-films fabricated by pulsed laser deposition (PLD). By controlling the processing conditions in PLD growths, various fascinating Bi2Te3-based nanostructured films with promising or enhanced TE properties have been successfully fabricated, including super-assembling of Bi2Te3 hierarchical nanostructures, self-assembled Bi2Te3 films with well-aligned 0D to 3D nanoblocks, polycrystalline-nanostructured Bi2Se3 and Bi2Te3 thin-films, etc. In addition, a PLD-growth mechanism for fabricating the super-assembling Bi2Te3 thin-films is presented. This book chapter provides fundamental understanding the relationship amongst processing condition, structure-morphology, and TE property of PLD-growths Bi2Te3-based thin-films. It also presents an overview of TE materials and applications with the challenges and perspectives.