Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 22, 2026
Author Spotlight: Advancing Energy Solutions Using Nanocomposites as Processed Thermoelectric Materials
Published on: May 17, 2024
Carrier Scattering at Alloy Nanointerfaces Enhances Power Factor in PEDOT:PSS Hybrid Thermoelectrics
Edmond W Zaia1, Ayaskanta Sahu, Preston Zhou
1Department of Chemical Engineering, University of California , Berkeley, California 94720, United States.
Unlabelled:
This work demonstrates the first method for controlled growth of heterostructures within hybrid organic/inorganic nanocomposite thermoelectrics. Using a facile, aqueous technique, semimetal-alloy nanointerfaces are patterned within a hybrid thermoelectric system consisting of tellurium (Te) nanowires and the conducting polymer poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrene-sulfonate) (
Pedot:
PSS). Specifically, this method is used to grow nanoscale islands of Cu1.75Te alloy subphases within hybrid
Pedot:
PSS-Te nanowires. This technique is shown to provide tunability of thermoelectric and electronic properties, providing up to 22% enhancement of the system's power factor in the low-doping regime, consistent with preferential scattering of low energy carriers. This work provides an exciting platform for rational design of multiphase nanocomposites and highlights the potential for engineering of carrier filtering within hybrid thermoelectrics via introduction of interfaces with controlled structural and energetic properties.
