Facile Surfactant‐Free Synthesis of p‐Type SnSe Nanoplates with Exceptional Thermoelectric Power Factors

Abstract

A surfactant‐free solution methodology, simply using water as a solvent, has been developed for the straightforward synthesis of single‐phase orthorhombic SnSe nanoplates in gram quantities. Individual nanoplates are composed of {100} surfaces with {011} edge facets. Hot‐pressed nanostructured compacts ( E g ≈0.85 eV) exhibit excellent electrical conductivity and thermoelectric power factors ( S 2 σ) at 550 K. S 2 σ values are 8‐fold higher than equivalent materials prepared using citric acid as a structure‐directing agent, and electrical properties are comparable to the best‐performing, extrinsically doped p‐type polycrystalline tin selenides. The method offers an energy‐efficient, rapid route to p‐type SnSe nanostructures.