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Thermoelectric superlattices are expected to decouple the strong correlation between various thermoelectric parameters, and are an important strategy for excellent thermoelectric performances. The superlattices of (Bi2)m(Bi2Te3)n homologous series are well-known for low lattice thermal conductivity and intriguing topological surface states. However, the impacts of electronic structure on the thermoelectric performance were still not well-understood in (Bi2)m(Bi2Te3)n. To cope with this issue, Bi2–Bi2Te3 superlattice-like films with adjustable Bi2/(Bi2+Bi2Te3) molar ratio (R) were successfully fabricated by the molecular beam epitaxy technique. Angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy measurements combined with theoretical calculations revealed the conduction band evolution from single-valley to multi-valley as R ≥ 0.30, leading to intrinsically high carrier effective mass and improved thermoelectric power factor. Also, the superlattice film (R = 0.46) with the structure close to Bi4Te3 possesses the topological surface state feature around the high symmetry point. As a result of the high effective mass of 3.9 m0 and very high electron density of 2.31 × 1021 cm−3, the film with R = 0.46 acquired the highest power factor of 1.49 mW·m−1·K−2 at 420 K, outperforming that of other (Bi2)m(Bi2Te3)n superlattices. This work lays an essential foundation on understanding the electronic structure and further improving thermoelectric performances of (Bi2)m(Bi2Te3)n homologous series.
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