Park, Gwang Min Lee, Seunghyeok Hong, Jinseok Nahm, Seokho Baek, Seung-Hyub Kim, Jin-Sang Lee, Seung-Yong Kim, Seong Keun 2025-06-04T01:30:09Z 2025-06-04T01:30:09Z 2025-05-29 2025-07 1613-6810 https://pubs.kist.re.kr/handle/201004/152542 Improving thermoelectric material performance is essential for energy harvesting and solid-state cooling applications. This study demonstrated a novel structure of Bi2Te3-based thermoelectric materials with ZnO nanowire-bundled grain boundaries, realized via atomic layer deposition (ALD) and subsequent spark plasma sintering (SPS). The ZnO nanowires formed at the interfaces due to the rearrangement of the ALD-grown ZnO ultrathin layer over Bi0.4Sb1.6Te3 powder, driven by localized heating during the SPS process and the anisotropic nature of ZnO. The nanowire-bundled interfaces enhanced phonon scattering, thereby reducing lattice thermal conductivity while maintaining excellent electrical transport. This structural innovation achieved a high figure-of-merit, zTmax = 1.69 +/- 0.09 at 373 K and an average zT of 1.55 over the range of 300-473 K. A thermoelectric module fabricated with 127 p-n pairs achieved a record-high conversion efficiency of 6.57% at a temperature difference of 163 K. These findings highlight the potential of nanowire-bundled interfaces to enhance the thermoelectric material performance and pave the way for scalable next-generation energy conversion technologies. English Wiley - V C H Verlag GmbbH & Co. Nanowire-Bundled Grain Boundaries in Thermoelectric Materials Article 10.1002/smll.202503539 1 Small, v.21, no.29 Small 21 29 Y scie scopus 001492860100001 Chemistry, Multidisciplinary Chemistry, Physical Nanoscience & Nanotechnology Materials Science, Multidisciplinary Physics, Applied Physics, Condensed Matter Chemistry Science & Technology - Other Topics Materials Science Physics Article BI2TE3-BASED ALLOYS PERFORMANCE ENHANCEMENT FIGURE MERIT POWER interfaces nanowires phonon scattering thermoelectric materials Bi2Te3