3D printing of conductive polymer aerogel thermoelectric generator with tertiary doping

Abstract

The rapid advancement of conductive polymer aerogel for thermoelectric application has predominantly depended on the use of performance-enhancing additives for improvement in electrical performance. Meanwhile, the intrinsic capability of the polymer matrix is often overlooked, and control over aerogel geometry remains limited. This arises from the challenges in fabricating conductive polymer aerogel film and the absence of an effective doping technique that does not compromise the aerogel’s fragile microstructure due to induced capillary stress. Herein, 3D printing is combined with a tertiary doping process to simultaneously enable synthesize of conductive polymer aerogel with controlled geometry, high electrical conductivity of over 10 Scm−1, low thermal conductivity of < 100 mWm−1K−1, while increasing the thermoelectric output by four times compared to pristine aerogel. The result of this work opens new opportunities to enhance the performance of conductive polymer without relying on additives by unleashing the full potential for conductive polymer matrix.