  We report on graphene-like exfoliation of the large-area crystalline films
and ribbons of bismuth telluride with the thicknesses of a few atoms. It is
demonstrated that bismuth telluride, the most important material for
thermoelectric industry, can be mechanically separated into its building blocks
-[Te-Bi-Te-Bi-Te]- atomic five-folds with the thickness of ~1 nm and even
further - to subunits with smaller thicknesses. The atomically-thin crystals
can be structured into suspended crystalline ribbons providing quantum
confinement in two dimensions. The quasi two-dimensional (2-D) crystals of
bismuth telluride revealed high electrical conductivity. The proposed
atomic-layer engineering of bismuth telluride opens up a principally new route
for drastic enhancement of the thermoelectric figure of merit.
