Worm-Like PEDOT:Tos coated polypropylene fabrics via low-temperature interfacial polymerization for high-efficiency thermoelectric textile

Abstract

Inspired by worm morphology, this study report a low-cost and facile synthesis approach to construct a worm-like P-type flexible thermoelectric material—poly(3,4-ethylene dioxythiophene):p-toluenesulfonic acid (PEDOT:Tos) coated polypropylene (PP) nonwoven fabrics via low-temperature interfacial polymerization. This as-prepared thermoelectric fabric made of fibers with a core-shell structure has an electrical conductivity of 2.19 S/cm and the Seebeck coefficient of 16.15 μV K−1 at a temperature difference of 30 °C. Furthermore, it presents good mechanical and washing stability by bending and ultrasonic test. A thermoelectric device designed of five pairs of thermoelectric material (p-type) and copper wire (n-type) generates 0.512 mV voltage at a temperature difference of 10 °C. This thermoelectric device has a prospect in the application of portable and interactive devices. This study proposes an easy way to manufacture bioinspired thermoelectric fabric with high thermoelectric performance and high potential applications, such as in wearable and flexible sensors.