Issue 26, 2017

Substantial local variation of the Seebeck coefficient in gold nanowires

Abstract

Nanoscale structuring holds promise to improve the thermoelectric properties of materials for energy conversion and photodetection. We report a study of the spatial distribution of the photothermoelectric voltage in thin-film nanowire devices fabricated from a single metal. A focused laser beam is used to locally heat the metal nanostructure via a combination of direct absorption and excitation of a plasmon resonance in Au devices. As seen previously, in nanowires shorter than the spot size of the laser, we observe a thermoelectric voltage distribution that is consistent with the local Seebeck coefficient being spatially dependent on the width of the nanostructure. In longer structures, we observe extreme variability of the net thermoelectric voltage as the laser spot is scanned along the length of the nanowire. The sign and magnitude of the thermoelectric voltage is sensitive to the structural defects, metal grain structure, and surface passivation of the nanowire. This finding opens the possibility of improved local control of the thermoelectric properties at the nanoscale.

Graphical abstract: Substantial local variation of the Seebeck coefficient in gold nanowires

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
14 Apr 2017
Accepted
12 Jun 2017
First published
14 Jun 2017

Nanoscale, 2017,9, 9160-9166

Substantial local variation of the Seebeck coefficient in gold nanowires

P. Zolotavin, C. I. Evans and D. Natelson, Nanoscale, 2017, 9, 9160 DOI: 10.1039/C7NR02678A

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