Morphology controlled synthesis of nanostructured Bi2Te 3

Abstract

Nanostructured thermoelectric bismuth telluride (Bi2Te 3) powders with various morphologies, such as nanoplates, nanorods, and nanotubes, were prepared by a hydrothermal method based on the reaction between BiCl3, Te, and sodium ethylenediaminetetraacetate (Na 2-EDTA) at 150, 180, and 210 °C. The products were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), and selected area electron diffraction (SAED). The effect of reaction temperature on the morphology of the Bi2Te3 particles was investigated, and the possible mechanism of morphology control was proposed.