Bulk Bi2Te3 is known to be a topological insulator. We investigate surface states of Bi2Te3(111) thin films of one to six quintuple layers using density-functional theory including spin-orbit coupling. We construct a method to identify topologically protected surface states of thin film topological insulators. Applying this method to Bi2Te3 thin films, we find that the topological nature of the...

The high processing cost, poor mechanical properties and moderate performance of Bi2Te3–based alloys used in thermoelectric devices limit the cost-effectiveness this energy conversion technology. Towards solving these current challenges, present work, we detail a low temperature solution-based approach to produce Bi2Te3-Cu2-xTe nanocomposites with improved performance. Our consists combining pr...

This paper reports the fabrication and testing of Bismuth Tellurium (Bi2Te3) – Antimony Tellurium (Sb2Te3) based thermocouples using screen printing technology. In this study, screen printable thermoelectric pastes were developed and the transport properties of cured material were measured. The dimension of each planer thermoleg is 39.3 mm × 3 mm with a thickness of 67 μm for Bi2Te3 leg and 62 ...

The realization of superconductivity at the interface between a topological insulator and an iron-chalcogenide compound is highly attractive for exploring several recent theoretical predictions involving these two new classes of materials. Here we report transport measurements on a Bi2Te3/FeTe heterostructure fabricated via van der Waals epitaxy, which demonstrate superconductivity at the inter...

We investigated the magnetotransport properties of Bi2Te3 films grown on GaAs (001) substrate by a cost-effective metallo-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD). We observed the remarkably high carrier mobility and the giant linear magnetoresistance (carrier mobility ∼ 22 000 cm(2) V(-1) s(-1), magnetoresistance ∼ 750% at 1.8 K and 9 T for a 100 nm thick film) that depends on the film thickn...

UNLABELLED Solution-processable telluride-based heterostructures coated with poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (Te-Bi2Te3/PEDOT:PSS) were synthesized through a solution-phase reaction at low temperatures. The water-based synthesis yielded PEDOT PSS-coated Te-Bi2Te3 nano-barbell structures with a high Seebeck coefficient that can be stably dispersed in water. These hybrid...

The discovery of two-dimensional superconductivity in Bi2Te3/FeTe heterostructures provides a new platform for the search of Majorana fermions in condensed matter systems. Since Majorana fermions are expected to reside at the core of the vortices, a close examination of the vortex dynamics in superconducting interface is of paramount importance. Here, we report the robustness of the interfacial...

Bismuth telluride (Bi2Te3) two-dimensional (2D) nanosheets prepared by van der Waals epitaxy were successfully detached, transferred, and suspended for nano-indentation measurements to be performed on freestanding circular nanosheets. The Young's modulus acquired by fitting linear elastic behaviors of 26 samples (thickness: 5-14 nm) is only 11.7-25.7 GPa, significantly smaller than the bulk in-...

Nanograined bulk alloys based on bismuth telluride (Bi2Te3) are the dominant materials for room-temperature thermoelectric applications. In numerous studies, existing phonon mean free path (MFP) spectra predicted by atomistic simulations suggest sub-100 nm grain sizes necessary to reduce lattice thermal conductivity decreasing MFPs. This is in contrast with available experimental data, where a ...

We present a study of the surface reactivity of a Pd/Bi2Te3 thin film heterostructure. The topological surface states from Bi2Te3, being delocalized and robust owing to their topological natures, were found to act as an effective electron bath that significantly enhances the surface reactivity of palladium in the presence of two oxidizing agents, oxygen and tellurium respectively, which is cons...