RT Journal Article T1 Enhanced figure of merit in nanostructured (Bi,Sb)2Te3 with optimized composition, prepared by a straightforward arc-melting procedure A1 Serrano Sánchez, F. A1 Gharsallah, M. A1 Nemes, Norbert Marcel A1 Biskup Zaja, Nevenko A1 Varela Del Arco, María A1 Martínez, J. L. A1 Fernández Díaz, M. T. A1 Alonso, J. A. AB Sb-doped Bi2Te3 is known since the 1950s as the best thermoelectric material for near-room temperature operation. Improvements in material performance are expected from nanostructuring procedures. We present a straightforward and fast method to synthesize already nanostructured pellets that show an enhanced ZT due to a remarkably low thermal conductivity and unusually high Seebeck coefficient for a nominal composition optimized for arc-melting: Bi0.35Sb1.65Te3. We provide a detailed structural analysis of the Bi2−xSbxTe3 series (0 ≤ x ≤ 2) based on neutron powder diffraction as a function of composition and temperature that reveals the important role played by atomic vibrations. Arc-melting produces layered platelets with less than 50 nm-thick sheets. The low thermal conductivity is attributed to the phonon scattering at the grain boundaries of the nanosheets. This is a fast and cost-effective production method of highly efficient thermoelectric materials. PB Nature Research YR 2017 FD 2017-07-24 LK https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/91844 UL https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/91844 LA eng NO Serrano-Sánchez, F., Gharsallah, M., Nemes, N.M. et al. Enhanced figure of merit in nanostructured (Bi,Sb)2Te3 with optimized composition, prepared by a straightforward arc-melting procedure. Sci Rep 7, 6277 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-05428-4 NO Ministerio de Economía, Comercio y Empresa (España) DS Docta Complutense RD 6 abr 2025