Micro instrumentation for characterizing thermoelectric properties of nanomaterials

A micro tool for evaluating thermoelectric properties of low-dimensional materials is developed. It is expected that a one-dimensional thermoelectric material exhibits superior thermoelectric properties and low thermal conductivity due to its inherent nanoscale structure. By using these superior properties, high efficient thermoelectric power transformation devices may be realized. In this study, we developed micro instrumentation fabricated by micromachining for the characterization of thermoelectric properties of low-dimensional materials. The device consists of freely suspended heating elements and built-in microthermocouple as a sensing element on the heating elements. A bundle of Bi₂Te₃ nanowire, which is prepared by a silicon template method, was positioned onto the microdevice by manipulation. Measurements of the electric conductivity, thermal conductivity and Seebeck coefficient of the Bi₂Te₃ bundle were performed to show the feasibility of this device for measurements of thermoelectric properties of nanomaterials.