From Graphene to Bismuth Telluride: Mechanical Exfoliation of Quasi-2D Crystals for Applications in Thermoelectrics and Topological Insulators

TL;DR

This paper presents a graphene-inspired exfoliation method for creating ultra-thin bismuth telluride films with tailored properties, enhancing thermoelectric performance and enabling exploration of topological insulators for practical applications.

Contribution

It introduces a novel exfoliation technique for quasi-2D Bi2Te3 crystals, allowing control over composition and properties for thermoelectric and topological insulator research.

Findings

Produced atomically thin Bi2Te3 films with low thermal conductivity

Enhanced thermoelectric properties observed in exfoliated films

Enabled creation of designer non-stoichiometric quasi-2D crystalline stacks

Abstract

Bismuth telluride (Bi2Te3) and its alloys are the best bulk thermoelectric materials known today. The stacked quasi-two-dimensional (2D) layers of Bi2Te3 were also identified as topological insulators. In this paper we describe a method for graphene-inspired exfoliation of crystalline bismuth telluride films with a thickness of a few atoms. The atomically thin films were suspended across trenches in Si/SiO2 substrates, and subjected to detail characterization. The presence of the van der Waals gaps allowed us to disassemble Bi2Te3 crystal into its quintuple building blocks - five mono-atomic sheets consisting of Te(1)-Bi-Te(2)-Bi-Te(1). By altering the thickness and sequence of atomic planes we were able to create designer non-stoichiometric quasi-2D crystalline films, change their composition and doping, as well as other properties. The exfoliated quintuples and ultra-thin films have low thermal conductivity, high electrical conductivity and enhanced thermoelectric properties. The obtained results pave the way for producing stacks of crystalline bismuth telluride quantum wells with the strong spatial confinement of charge carriers and acoustic phonons for thermoelectric devices. The developed technology for producing free-standing quasi-2D layers of Te(1)-Bi-Te(2)-Bi-Te(1) creates an impetus for investigation of the topological insulators and their possible practical applications.