Tailoring microstructure and electrical transportation through tensile stress in Bi2Te3 thermoelectric fibers

Abstract Bismuth telluride (Bi2Te3) has attracted much attention in the field of thermoelectrics since it is one kind of commercial room-temperature thermoelectric material. Herein three kinds of Bi2Te3 thermoelectric fibers with internal tensile stress are fabricated utilizing an optical fiber template method. The effects of internal stress on the microstructure and the electrical transportation of Bi2Te3 thermoelectric fibers are investigated. The Bi2Te3 cores in the fibers are highly crystalline and possess a tensile nanosheet structure with preferential orientation as evidenced by X-ray diffraction and Raman studies. Tensile stress can enhance electrical properties of the fibers. And a paper cup generator covered with 20 pieces of optimized fibers provides a μW-level output power. It is inferred that tensile stress tuning can be an effective tool for the material optimization of thermoelectric performance.