Electrochemical Deposition and Characterization of Bi2-xSbxTe3 Thermoelectric Thin Film

Bi2-xSbxTe3 thermoelectric films were deposited on ITO-coated glass and Ti sheet substrates by an electrochemical method. The deposition process and the morphology, phase structure and composition of the films were studied by cyclic voltammetry, SEM, XRD and EDX, respectively. The thermoelectric properties of the films were measured at room temperature. Results show that pure Bi2-xSbxTe3 films can be obtained on ITO-coated glass whereas the film grown on the Ti sheet contains a little amount of Te. The film has smoother and more compact surface with cold isostatic pressing before annealing. The electrical conductivity is greatly increased and the Seebeck coefficient almost does not change, which indicates that treating with cold isostatic pressing is an effective means to improve the thermoelectric properties of the films.