Segmented nanowires: a theoretical study of thermoelectric properties

A theoretical model for the transport properties of segmented nanowires is developed and is used to calculate the thermoelectric properties of Bi/Bi/sub 1-x/Sb/sub x/ segmented nanowires. The calculation shows that higher thermoelectric performance may be achieved in segmented nanowires than in ordinary 1D nanowires of the same alloy composition. For n-type Bi/Bi/sub 1-x/Sb/sub x/ segmented nanowires, the ZT increases with decreasing segment length, while the optimal segment length for p-type systems is about 10 nm.