Fabrication of PEDOT:PSS/Ag₂Se Nanowires for Polymer-Based Thermoelectric Applications

Flexible Ag₂Se NW/PEDOT:PSS thermoelectric composite films with different Ag₂Se contents (10, 20, 30, 50, 70, and 80 wt.%) are fabricated. The Ag₂Se nanowires are first fabricated with solution mixing. After that, Ag₂Se NW/PEDOT:PSS composite film was fabricated using a simple drop-casting method. To evaluate the potential applications of the Ag₂Se NW/PEDOT:PSS composite, their thermoelectric properties are analyzed according to their Ag₂Se contents, and strategies for maximizing the thermoelectric power factor are discussed. The maximum room-temperature power factor of composite film (178.59 μW/m·K²) is obtained with 80 wt.% Ag₂Se nanowires. In addition, the composite film shows outstanding durability after 1000 repeat bending cycles. This work provides an important strategy for the fabrication of high-performance flexible thermoelectric composite films, which can be extended to other inorganic/organic composites and will certainly promote their development and thermoelectric applications.