Coherent Thermoelectric Power from Graphene Quantum Dots

The quantum confinement of charge carriers has been a promising approach to enhance the efficiency of thermoelectric devices, by lowering the dimension of materials and raising the boundary phonon scattering rate. The role of quantum confinement in thermoelectric efficiency has been investigated by using macroscopic device-scale measurements based on diffusive electron transport with the thermal de Broglie wavelength of the electrons. Here, we report a new class of thermoelectric operation originating from quasi-bound state electrons in low-dimensional materials. Coherent thermoelectric power from confined charges was observed at room temperature in graphene quantum dots with diameters of several nanometers. The graphene quantum dots, electrostatically defined as circular n-p-n junctions to isolate charges in the p-type graphene quantum dots, enabled thermoelectric microscopy at the atomic scale, revealing weakly localized and coherent thermoelectric power generation. The conceptual thermoelectric operation provides new insights, selectively enhancing coherent thermoelectric power via resonant states of charge carriers in low-dimensional materials.