Sri1-xLaxTiO3 nanoparticles: Synthesis, characterization and enhanced thermoelectric response

Nanotechnology may bring new thermoelectric properties to conventional materials. In this work, we investigate the thermoelectric response in Sri(1-x)LaxTiO(3) nanoparticle compacts fabricated by a hydrothermal method followed by a cold-pressure procedure. The expansion of the unit cells in nanoparticles results in the enhancement of thermopower. The morphology of nanoparticle compacts containing numerous interfaces strongly suppresses the phonon thermal conductivity. The ZT value of the nanoparticle compacts reaches similar to 0.12 at 300K, almost 30% larger than those of both epitaxial films and single crystals. (C) 2011 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.