Soluble Telluride-Based Molecular Precursor for Solution-Processed High-Performance Thermoelectrics

The recent interest in wearable electronics suggests flexible thermoelectrics as candidates for the power supply. Herein, we report a solution process to fabricate flexible Sb2Te3 thermoelectric thin films using molecular Sb2Te3 precursors, synthesized by the reduction of Sb2Te3 powder in ethylenediamine and ethanedithiol with superhydride. The fabricated flexible Sb2Te3 thin films exhibit a power factor of ∼8.5 μW cm–1 K−2 at 423 K, maintaining the properties during 1000 bending cycles. FePt nanoparticles are homogeneously embedded in the Sb2Te3 thin film, reducing the thermal conductivity. The current study offers considerable potential for manufacturing high-performance flexible thin film devices.