Chemical routes to nanocrystalline thermoelectrically relevant AgPb(m)SbTe(m+2) materials.

A direct synthesis of nanoparticles of the thermoelectrically relevant AgPbmSbTem+2 materials (m = 0, 1, 2) was accomplished in reverse micelles. The procedure offers several distinct advantages and opens the field for experimentation of thermoelectric properties for nanoparticle-derived materials.