High Thermoelectric Performance in Bismuth Telluride via Constructing MoSe2-2D Heterojunction.

Currently, the only thermoelectric (TE) materials commercially available at room temperature are those based on bismuth telluride. However, their widespread application is limited due to their inferior thermoelectric and mechanical properties. In this study, a strategy of growing a rigid second phase of MoSe2 is employed, in situ within the matrix phase to achieve n-type bismuth telluride-based materials with exceptional mechanical and thermoelectric properties. The in situ grown second phase contributes to both the electronic and lattice thermal conductivities. This is primarily attributed to the strong energy filtering effect, as the second phase forms a semi-common lattice interfacial structure with the matrix phase during growth. Furthermore, for composites containing 2 wt% MoSe2, a maximum zT value of 1.24 at 373 K can be achieved. On this basis, 8-pair TE module is fabricated and 1-pair TE module is optimized using a homemade p-type material. The optimized 1-pair TE module generates a maximum output power of 13.6 µW, which is twice that of the 8-pair TE module and four times more than the 8-pair TE module fabricated by commercial material. This work facilitates the development of the TE module by presenting a novel approach to obtaining bismuth telluride-based thermoelectric materials with superior thermoelectric and mechanical properties.

Kinetic study on bonding reaction of gelatin with CdS nanopaticles by UV-visible spectroscopy.

The chemical kinetics on gelatin-CdS direct conjugates has been systematically investigated as a function of different temperature and reactant concentration (i.e. Cd(2+), S(2-) and gelatin) by UV-visible spectroscopy, for the first time. The nonlinear fitting and the differential method were used to calculate the initial rate based on the absorbance-time data. A double logarithmic linear equation for calculating the rate constant (k) and the reaction order (n) was introduced. The reaction kinetic parameters (n, k, Ea, and Z) and activation thermodynamic parameters (ΔG(≠), ΔH(≠), and ΔS(≠)) were obtained from variable temperature kinetic studies. The overall rate equation allowing evaluation of conditions that provide required reaction rate could be expressed as: r = 1.11 × 10(8) exp(-4971/T)[Cd(2+)][gelatin](0.6)[S(2-)](0.6) (M/S) The calculated values of the reaction rate are well coincide with the experimental results. A suitable kinetic model is also proposed. This work will provide guidance for the rational design of gelatin-directed syntheses of metal sulfide materials, and help to understand the biological effects of nanoparticles at the molecular level.

Interaction via in situ binding of CdS nanorods onto gelatin.

In situ interaction of CdS nanorods (CdSNRs) with gelatin was investigated at pH 12.0. UV-Visible, FT-IR, scanning electron microscopy, dynamic light scattering, synchronous fluorescence, and three-dimensional fluorescence spectroscopy methods were used. It was found that negatively charged CdSNRs quenched the synchronous fluorescence of gelatin by forming a CdS/gelatin complex. The synchronous fluorescence quenching data were analyzed according to Scatchard equation, and the binding constants and corresponding thermodynamic parameters ΔH, ΔG, and ΔS at three different temperatures were calculated. Small positive enthalpy (ΔH) and entropy (ΔS) values indicate that both electrostatic and hydrophobic forces played the major roles in the binding reaction of CdSNRs with gelatin. The effect of CdSNRs on the conformation of gelatin was also analyzed from both synchronous fluorescence and three-dimensional fluorescence spectra. The results provide useful information for exploring the chemical mechanism of interaction between nanomaterials and fibrous protein.