Titania–germanium nanocomposite for photo-thermo-electric application

Sukti Chatterjee 2008 Nanotechnology 19 265701 (9pp) doi: 10.1088/0957-4484/19/26/265701

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Sukti Chatterjee¹
Center for Composite Materials, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA
¹ Present address: Naval Materials Research Laboratory, Defence Research and Development Organization, Ambernath e 421 506, India
E-mail: Sukti@yahoo.com

Abstract. The introduction of germanium (Ge) into titania (TiO₂) creates an attractive semiconductor. The new semiconductor is named titania–germanium (TiO₂–Ge). Ge dots are dispersed in the distorted TiO₂ matrix of TiO₂–Ge. The quantum Bohr radius of Ge is 24.3 nm, and hence the properties of the Ge dot can be varied by tailoring its size if it is smaller than its Bohr radius due to the quantum confinement effect (QCE). Therefore, simply by changing the Ge concentration, the morphology of TiO₂–Ge can be varied within a wide range. Consequently, the optical, electronic and thermal properties of TiO₂–Ge can be tailored. TiO₂–Ge becomes a promising material for the next generation of photovoltaics as well as thermoelectric devices. It could also be used for photo-thermo-electric applications.

Print publication: Issue 26 (2 July 2008)
Received 14 December 2007, in final form 14 April 2008
Published 20 May 2008

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