Abstract
We developed an unconventional route to produce uniform and intimately interfaced nanocomposite films for their potential application in thermoelectric (TE) devices. Here, amino-terminated poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl) (P3HT) was chemically adhered onto the surface of a functionalized double-walled carbon nanotube (DWCNT), via an amidation reaction, to form P3HT-grafted DWCNT (P3HT-g-DWCNT). As the P3HT chains are intimately and permanently tethered on the DWCNT surface, a well-defined P3HT/DWCNT interface prevents the DWCNT from aggregating by promoting the solubility of P3HT-g-DWCNT nanocomposites in organic solvent. Such characteristic changes in DWCNT by polymer grafting can improve the thermoelectric properties of DWCNT films. The covalently grafted P3HT-g-DWCNT film exhibits a significantly enhanced Seebeck coefficient of 116. 6 μV K−1, as compared to a physically mixed P3HT/DWCNT composite (69.2 μV K−1), in conjunction with a high power output in TE modules. This facile approach would open a new way to synthesize intimately connected nanocomposites made up of conductive polymers and carbon materials for high performance thermoelectrics.
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