Direct synthesis of Te/Bi2Te3 nanocomposite powders by a polyol process

Tellurium nanotube-based bismuth telluride (Te/Bi2Te3) nanocomposite powders have been synthesized by the polyol process using Bi (NO3)3, TeCl4 as the metal precursors, dioctyl ether as the solvent, and 1,2-hexadecanediol as the reducing agent. The synthesized nanocomposite powders showed the characteristic microstructure where many single crystalline Bi2Te3 nanoparticles are bonded on the tubular structure, which has a length of a few microns and a diameter of 200 nm. EDX results showed the nanocomposite powders consist of tubular structure of Te materials and nanoparticles of Bi with Te atoms. These results reveal that direct synthetic process for heterostructured nanomaterials of tube/nanoparticles were developed via the one-pot process without any templates or additional process. The synthesized unique structure of Te/Bi2Te3 nanocomposite powders can be utilized in thermoelectric applications due to controllable thermal and electric conductivity by combination between porous structures and nanostructuring.