Assembly and measurement of a hybrid nanowire-bulk thermoelectric device

Bi1-xSbx nanowires are predicted to show an increased thermoelectric efficiency compared to bulk materials. The authors have synthesized dense Bi0.3Sb0.7 nanowire arrays by electrodeposition into porous anodic alumina and fabricated Ni electrical contacts to the wires. The nanowire/alumina composite was assembled into a hybrid nanowire-bulk thermoelectric device, and electrical measurements were used to calculate the device ZT. The nanowire array produced a temperature difference of 7 degrees C and the hybrid couple had a ZT of 0.12, which is on par with an equivalent bulk couple. (c) 2006 American Institute of Physics.