Multifold Electrical Conductance Enhancements at Metal–Bismuth Telluride Interfaces Modified Using an Organosilane Monolayer

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• 作者：Thomas CardinalMatthew Kwan ; Theodorian Borca-TasciucGanpati Ramanath
• 刊名：ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces
• 出版年：2017
• 出版时间：January 25, 2017
• 年：2017
• 卷：9
• 期：3
• 页码：2001-2005
• 全文大小：456K
• ISSN：1944-8252

文摘

Controlling electrical transport across metal-thermoelectric interfaces is key to realizing high efficiency devices for solid state refrigeration and waste-heat harvesting. We obtain up to 17-fold increases in electrical contact conductivity Σ_c by inserting a mercaptan-terminated organosilane monolayer at Cu–Bi₂Te₃ and Ni–Bi₂Te₃ interfaces, yielding similar Σ_c for both metals by offsetting an otherwise 7-fold difference. The Σ_c improvements are underpinned by silane-moiety-induced inhibition of Cu diffusion, promotion of high-conductivity interfacial nickel telluride formation, and mercaptan-induced reduction of Bi₂Te₃ surface oxides. Our findings should enable incorporating nanomolecular layers with appropriately chosen terminal moieties in thermoelectric device metallization schemes without metal diffusion barriers.