Segregated-network polymer nanocomposites have been shown to be viable fully organic thermoelectric materials in recent years. In the present work, a poly(vinyl acetate) (PVAc) latex, filled with 40 wt% double-wall carbon nanotubes (DWNT), stabilized by intrinsically conductive poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrene sulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS), is shown to exhibit the highest reported electrical conductivity (s ~ 200,000 S/m) and power factor (PF) (S2s ~ 400 �W/(m�K2), with moderate thermopower (S ~ 45 �V/K), at room temperature for a fully organic free-standing film. Despite displaying metal-like electrical conductivity, these organic composites exhibit polymer-like thermal conductivity, ranging from 0.2 � 0.4 W/(m�K). The overall thermoelectric figure of merit (ZT) can be calculated at room temperature to be ~0.35. These results indicate that flexible polymer nanocomposites, prepared from water under ambient conditions, can achieve thermoelectric behavior that is competitive with commonly used inorganic semiconductors, especially when considering their low density and ability to be applied like an ink or paint to any surface.

Promise of fully organic, high performance thermoelectric materials

245th National Meeting (2013)

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