Uncovering the crystallography and formation mechanism of nanoscale clusters in Sb-rich SPPs of a p-type (Bi, Sb)2Te3 alloy

Abstract

Considering that the crystallographic characteristics of the Sb-rich secondary phase particles (SPPs) greatly affect the thermoelectric properties of Bi₂Te₃ based materials, it is of great significance to explore the mechanism behind the Sb-rich SPPs in the p-type (Bi, Sb)₂Te₃ material. Here a conventional TEM technique was used to characterize the composition, size and distribution of Sb-rich SPPs in a spark plasma sintered p-type (Bi, Sb)₂Te₃ alloy. The results indicated that two different morphologies of Sb-rich SPPs including elongated and circular Sb-rich SPPs were frequently observed. Combined with high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, this work provides atomic-scale evidence for the formation mechanism behind the Sb-rich SPPs in the (Bi, Sb)₂Te₃ material.