Outstanding Low Temperature Thermoelectric Power Factor from Completely Organic Thin Films Enabled by Multidimensional Conjugated Nanomaterials
Abstract
In an effort to create a paintable/printable thermoelectric material, comprised exclusively of organic components, polyaniline (PANi), graphene, and double‐walled nanotube (DWNT) are alternately deposited from aqueous solutions using the layer‐by‐layer assembly technique. Graphene and DWNT are stabilized with an intrinsically conductive polymer, poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS). An 80 quadlayer thin film (≈1 μm thick), comprised of a PANi/graphene‐PEDOT:PSS/PANi/DWNT‐PEDOT:PSS repeating sequence, exhibits unprecedented electrical conductivity (σ ≈ 1.9 × 105 S m−1) and Seebeck coefficient (S ≈ 120 μV K−1) for a completely organic material. These two values yield a thermoelectric power factor (PF = S 2 σ −1) of 2710 μW m−1 K−2, which is the highest value ever reported for a completely organic material and among the highest for any material measured at room temperature. These outstanding properties are attributed to the highly ordered structure in the multilayer assembly. This water‐based thermoelectric nanocomposite is competitive with the best inorganic semiconductors (e.g., bismuth telluride) at room temperature and can be applied as a coating to any flexible surface (e.g., fibers in clothing). For the first time, there is a real opportunity to harness waste heat from unconventional sources, such as body heat, to power devices in an environmentally‐friendly way.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Pub Defense Publication
- Publication Date
- Jan 28, 2016
- Source ID
- 10.1002/aenm.201502168
Entities
People
- Choongho Yu
- Chungyeon Cho
- Jaime C. Grunlan
- Jui‐hung Hsu
- Kevin L. Wallace
- Ping Tzeng
Organizations
- Air Force Office of Scientific Research