Patent ID: 7871668

Claim:
A method for forming a thermoelectric nanostructures comprising: providing one or more solid reactants to a reactor; establishing a gas or vapor flow through the reactor wherein the flow through the reactor comprises a convective flow field that includes a first vortex and a second vortex, the first vortex and the second vortex circulating reactants at a local environment within the reactor; and forming the thermoelectric nanostructures in the reactor according to a chemical vapor deposition process, wherein the weight percentage yield of the thermoelectric nanostructures is greater than about 5%, wherein a first portion of the thermoelectric nanostructures are deposited at a first surface adjacent the first vortex and a second portion of the thermoelectric nanostructures are deposited at a second surface adjacent the second vortex and wherein the thermoelectric nanostructures deposited at the first surface and the thermoelectric nanostructures deposited at the second surface differ from one another by at least one of size and shape.