Hybrid Silicon Nanostructures with Conductive Ligands and Their Microscopic Conductivity

Abstract

Silicon nanoparticles (SiNPs) functionalized with conjugated molecules are a promising potential pathway for generating an alternative category of thermoelectric materials. While the thermoelectric performance of materials based on phenylacetylene-capped SiNPs has been proven, their low conductivity is still a problem for their general application. A muon study of phenylacetylene-capped SiNPs was recently carried out using the HIFI spectrometer at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, measuring the avoided level-crossing spectra as a function of temperature. The results show a reduction in the measured line width of the resonance above room temperature, suggesting an activated behaviour for this system. This study shows that the muon study could be a powerful method for investigating microscopic conductivity of hybrid thermoelectric materials.