Creation of ZnO nano-bulk thermoelectric conversion materials incorporating metal nanoparticles by using soft-chemical precursors

2017 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 16K18248
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Composite materials/Surface and interface engineering
• Research Institution: Kyushu University
• Principal Investigator: Watanabe Kosuke 九州大学, エネルギー基盤技術国際教育研究センター, 助教 (40617007)
• Research Collaborator: OHTAKI Michitaka 九州大 ; SUEKUNI Koichiro 九州大 ; SUGAHARA Tohru 大阪大 ; SUEMATSU Koichi 九州大
• Project Period (FY): 2016-04-01 – 2018-03-31
• Keywords: ナノコンポジット / 液相前駆体法 / 酸化物 / ナノ構造制御 / フォノン散乱 / 機能性複合材料

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Nanopowders consisting of ZnO and the Au nanoparticles with diameters of ca. 50 nm and 3 nm were prepared from soft-chemical precursors. Mixtures of this nanopowders and Al2O3 powders were molded, and sintered by using the spark plasma sintering method. The nanocomposites embedding Au nanoparticles (d < 40 nm) in the Al doped ZnO matrix were obtained the addition 0.15 mol% amount of Au. The nanocomposites were achieved not only a decrease in the thermal conductivity due to selective phonon scattering but also an increase in the electrical conductivity at the same time. Consequently, it was shown that nanocomposites incorporating such metal nanoparticles were a guideline for material design of new thermoelectric materials.

Free Research Field

複合材料・表界面工学