Solution Processed CdS/Cu2S Superlattice Nanowire with Enhanced Thermal Power

Abstract

It has been predicted and experimentally demonstrated that creating superlattice structure may enhance material’s thermoelectric (TE) properties by increasing its Seebeck coefficient with quantum confinement or carrier filtering and decreasing its thermal conductivity with phonon surface scattering. However, the high cost associated with vapor phase deposition and growth process limited its application and prevented the further development of superlattice nanomaterials for TE application. Here, we discovered a new solution process to prepare high quality CdS/Cu2S superlattice nanowires which may lead to low cost mass production of superlattice nanowires. Compared to the Cu2S nanowires, the superlattice nanowires show enhanced Seebeck coefficient, which suggests its potential application as high performance thermoelectric material.