Abstract
Flexible poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate)/polypyrrole/paper (PEDOT:PSS/PPy/paper) thermoelectric (TE) nanocomposite films were prepared by a two-step method: first, PPy/paper nanocomposite films were prepared by an in situ chemical polymerization process, and second, PEDOT:PSS/PPy/paper TE composite films were fabricated by coating the as-prepared PPy/paper nanocomposite films using a dimethyl sulfoxide-doped PEDOT:PSS solution. Both the electrical conductivity and the Seebeck coefficient of the PEDOT:PSS/PPy/paper TE nanocomposite films were greatly enhanced from 0.06 S/cm to ~0.365 S/cm, and from 5.44 μV/K to ~16.0 μV/K at ~300 K, respectively, when compared to the PPy/paper TE nanocomposite films. The thermal conductivity of the PEDOT:PSS/PPy/paper composite film (0.1522 Wm−1K−1 at ~300 K) was, however, only slightly higher than that of the PPy/paper composite film (0.1142 Wm−1K−1 at ~300 K). As a result, the ZT value of the PEDOT:PSS/PPy/paper composite film (~1.85 × 10−5 at ~300 K) was significantly enhanced when compared to that of the PPy/paper composite film (~4.73 × 10−7 at ~300 K). The as-prepared nanocomposite films have great potential for application in flexible TE devices.
Highlights
Nowadays, more and more waste heat is generated [1]
More and more researchers have used paper as a substrate for the preparation of flexible composite materials used for flexible solid-state supercapacitors [14], flexible solar cells [15], and active matrix displays [16]
Flexible PPy/paper TE composite films were prepared by an in situ chemical polymerization method, and coated by PEDOT:PSS to further enhance the electrical conductivity of the PPy/paper TE composite films
Summary
More and more waste heat is generated [1]. Thermoelectric (TE) materials offer a promising solution to convert waste heat into electrical energy. Prepared PPy nanoparticles by an in situ polymerization method, and the electrical conductivity and Seebeck coefficient of the PPy nanoparticles was ~19.6 S/cm and ~7 μV/K at room temperature, respectively. Different preparation methods have a significant effect on the TE properties of PPy. Recently, more and more researchers have used paper as a substrate for the preparation of flexible composite materials used for flexible solid-state supercapacitors [14], flexible solar cells [15], and active matrix displays [16]. The electrical conductivity, Seebeck coefficient, and thermal conductivity of the PEDOT:PSS/paper composite film was 0.2 S/cm, 30.6 μV/K, and ~0.156 Wm−1 K−1 at 300 K, respectively. Flexible PPy/paper TE composite films were prepared by an in situ chemical polymerization method, and coated by PEDOT:PSS to further enhance the electrical conductivity of the PPy/paper TE composite films. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that the TE properties of flexible PEDOT:PSS/PPy/paper composite films are reported
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