Results in Engineering (Dec 2024)

Unlocking the thermoelectric potential of nanocrystalline magnesium selenide thin films grown by single stage horizontal tube furnace (SSHTF)

  • Anas Al Tarabsheh,
  • A. Rehman,
  • K. Javaid,
  • Lamia Ben Farhat,
  • A. Ali,
  • K. Mahmood,
  • M. Yasir Ali,
  • S. Ikram,
  • Jolly Jacob

Journal volume & issue
Vol. 24
p. 103150

Abstract

Read online

In this manuscript, the thin films of Magnesium Selenide (MgSe) were synthesized on a glass substrate using a single-stage horizontal tube furnace (SSHTF) which is supposed to be the simplest and a cost-effective approach. Before the deposition of thin films, the substrate was cleaned using standard methods. A pellet was formed by taking an equal ratio (1:1) of magnesium (Mg) and selenium (Se) powders and then evaporating them at 700oC for 1 h. The flow rate of nitrogen gas (100 SCCM) was maintained during the deposition process to avoid unwanted oxygen. A number of samples were synthesized by varying the source to substrate distance, and some representative samples are chosen for this study. The post-growth samples were characterized using XRD, SEM, and Raman Spectroscopy. The thermoelectric potential of all samples was tested by a home-developed Seebeck system. We have observed some promising values of the Seebeck coefficient (7.175 × 10−5 V/°C) and power factor (6.35 × 10−8 Wm−1oC−2) at optimized source-to substrate distance. These encouraging results will open the door for MgSe-based thermoelectric research and further explore its power generation potential in the future.

Keywords