An experimental investigation of the electronic transport properties of bismuth telluride nanocomposite materials is presented. The primary transport measurements are electrical conductivity, Seebeck coefficient and Hall effect. An experimental apparatus for measuring Hall effect and electrical conductivity was designed, constructed and tested. Seebeck coefficient measurements were performed on a commercial instrument. The Hall effect and Seebeck coefficient measurements are two of the most important tools for characterizing thermoelectric materials and are widely used in the semiconductor industry for determining carrier types, carrier concentration and mobility. Further, these transport parameters are used to determine the thermal to electrical conversion efficiency of a thermoelectric material. The Boltzmann transport equation was used to analyze the Seebeck coefficient, carrier mobility and electrical conductivity as a function of carrier concentration for eleven samples. The relationship between the electronic transport and material/composite composition is discussed.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:uno.edu/oai:scholarworks.uno.edu:td-2513 |
| Date | 02 August 2012 |
| Creators | Nolting, Westly |
| Publisher | ScholarWorks@UNO |
| Source Sets | University of New Orleans |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations |
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