Solution-processable flexible thermoelectric composite films based on conductive polymer/SnSe0.8S0.2 nanosheets/carbon nanotubes for wearable electronic applications

Flexible Ag2Se NW/PEDOT:PSS thermoelectric composite films with different Ag2Se contents (10, 20, 30, 50, 70, and 80 wt.%) are fabricated. The Ag2Se nanowires are first fabricated with solution mixing. After that, Ag2Se NW/PEDOT:PSS composite film was fabricated using a simple drop-casting method. To evaluate the potential applications of the Ag2Se NW/PEDOT:PSS composite, their thermoelectric properties are analyzed according to their Ag2Se contents, and strategies for maximizing the thermoelectric power factor are discussed. The maximum room-temperature power factor of composite film (178.59 μW/m·K2) is obtained with 80 wt.% Ag2Se nanowires. In addition, the composite film shows outstanding durability after 1000 repeat bending cycles. This work provides an important strategy for the fabrication of high-performance flexible thermoelectric composite films, which can be extended to other inorganic/organic composites and will certainly promote their development and thermoelectric applications.

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Macroscopic weavable fibers of carbon nanotubes with giant thermoelectric power factor

Nature Communications ◽

10.1038/s41467-021-25208-z ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Natsumi Komatsu ◽

Yota Ichinose ◽

Oliver S. Dewey ◽

Lauren W. Taylor ◽

Mitchell A. Trafford ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Thermal Conductivity ◽

Carbon Nanotubes ◽

Thermoelectric Power ◽

Power Factor ◽

Fermi Energy ◽

Performance Enhancement ◽

Thermoelectric Performance ◽

Thermoelectric Power Factor ◽

Large Power ◽

Energy Tuning

AbstractLow-dimensional materials have recently attracted much interest as thermoelectric materials because of their charge carrier confinement leading to thermoelectric performance enhancement. Carbon nanotubes are promising candidates because of their one-dimensionality in addition to their unique advantages such as flexibility and light weight. However, preserving the large power factor of individual carbon nanotubes in macroscopic assemblies has been challenging, primarily due to poor sample morphology and a lack of proper Fermi energy tuning. Here, we report an ultrahigh value of power factor (14 ± 5 mW m−1 K−2) for macroscopic weavable fibers of aligned carbon nanotubes with ultrahigh electrical and thermal conductivity. The observed giant power factor originates from the ultrahigh electrical conductivity achieved through excellent sample morphology, combined with an enhanced Seebeck coefficient through Fermi energy tuning. We fabricate a textile thermoelectric generator based on these carbon nanotube fibers, which demonstrates high thermoelectric performance, weavability, and scalability. The giant power factor we observe make these fibers strong candidates for the emerging field of thermoelectric active cooling, which requires a large thermoelectric power factor and a large thermal conductivity at the same time.

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Acido-treatment of PEDOT:PSS/Carbon Dots (CDots) nano-composite films for high thermoelectric power factor performance and generator

Materials Chemistry and Physics ◽

10.1016/j.matchemphys.2020.123762 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 257 ◽

pp. 123762 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Ahmed Gamal El-Shamy

Keyword(s):

Thermoelectric Power ◽

Power Factor ◽

Carbon Dots ◽

Composite Films ◽

Thermoelectric Power Factor ◽

Nano Composite

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Centimeter-Long Weavable Fibers of Carbon Nanotubes with Giant Thermoelectric Power Factor

10.21203/rs.3.rs-334346/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Natsumi Komatsu ◽

Yota Ichinose ◽

Oliver Dewey ◽

Lauren Taylor ◽

Mitchell Trafford ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Thermal Conductivity ◽

Carbon Nanotubes ◽

Thermoelectric Power ◽

Power Factor ◽

Fermi Energy ◽

Performance Enhancement ◽

Thermoelectric Performance ◽

Thermoelectric Power Factor ◽

Electronic Density ◽

Large Power

Abstract Low-dimensional materials have recently attracted much interest as thermoelectric materials because of their charge carrier confinement leading to thermoelectric performance enhancement. Carbon nanotubes are promising candidates because of their one-dimensionality in addition to their unique advantages such as flexibility and light weight. However, preserving the large power factor of individual carbon nanotubes in macroscopic assemblies has been challenging, primarily due to poor sample morphology and a lack of proper Fermi energy tuning. Here, we report an unprecedentedly high value of power factor (14±5 mWm-1K-2) for centimeter-long weavable fibers of aligned carbon nanotubes with ultrahigh electrical and thermal conductivity. Our theoretical simulations show that the observed giant power factor originates from the one-dimensional quantum confinement of charge carriers, appearing when the Fermi energy is near a van Hove singularity in the electronic density of states. We fabricated a textile thermoelectric generator based on these carbon nanotube fibers, which demonstrated high thermoelectric performance, weavablity, and scalability. The giant power factor we observed make these fibers strong candidates for the emerging field of thermoelectric active cooling, which requires a large thermoelectric power factor and a large thermal conductivity at the same time.

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