Sb2Te3 nanostructures with various morphologies: rapid microwave solvothermal synthesis and Seebeck coefficients

In this article, a rapid microwave-assisted solvothermal method is reported for the preparation of Sb2Te3 nanostructures with a variety of morphologies including single-crystalline nanorods, individual nanosheets, nanorods with branched ultrathin nanosheets, and half-nanotubes constructed by the self-assembly of nanocrystals. The morphology of Sb2Te3 nanostructures can be controlled by simply altering the amount of hydrazine hydrate and polyethylene glycol. The tablets of Sb2Te3 nanostructured powders with different morphologies are prepared by a room-temperature pressurized method, and they exhibit high Seebeck coefficients, which are much higher than those of Sb2Te3 bulk crystals reported.