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Thermoelectric Inks and Power Factor Tunability in Hybrid Films through All Solution Process
José F Serrano-Claumarchirant, Bejan Hamawandi1, Adem B Ergül1
1Department of Applied Physics, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, SE-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden.
ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces
|April 22, 2022
Summary
Researchers developed a solution-processed ink for large-area thermoelectric films using antimony and bismuth telluride nanomaterials. Additives improved conductivity, enabling efficient thermal energy harvesting for flexible electronics and IoT devices.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Nanotechnology
- Energy Harvesting
Background:
- Thermoelectric (TE) materials offer potential for thermal energy harvesting but large-area applications are limited.
- Hybrid materials combining TE nanomaterials with polymers present a route to scalable TE films.
- Achieving durable, high-performance TE coatings requires optimized ink formulations and processing.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop all solution-processed thermoelectric ink and hybrid films using antimony telluride (Sb2Te3) and bismuth telluride (Bi2Te3) nanomaterials.
- To characterize the properties of these hybrid films and understand the influence of material composition and additives.
- To explore the potential for large-scale, low-cost fabrication of TE coatings for energy scavenging applications.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of large-area homogeneous hybrid TE films using Sb2Te3 and Bi2Te3 nanomaterials in a (1-methoxy-2-propyl) acetate (MPA) solvent with poly (methyl methacrylate) polymer.
- Characterization of electrical conductivity and thermoelectric power factor at varying nanoparticle volume fractions.
- Investigation of the effect of dodecanethiol (DDT) additive on film properties and performance.
- Modeling of observed trends using percolation theory and analytical resistive theory.
Main Results:
- Electrical conductivity and TE power factor increased with nanoparticle content up to 60-70% fill factor, then decreased due to interface resistance and poor connectivity.
- The addition of dodecanethiol (DDT) significantly improved electrical conductivity by modifying interfaces and enhancing film compactness.
- A 4-5 fold increase in power factor for both p- and n-type hybrid films was achieved with DDT.
- Experimental results aligned with theoretical models incorporating interface resistance and connectivity effects.
Conclusions:
- Solution-processed hybrid TE films offer a scalable and low-cost method for fabricating large-area thermoelectric coatings.
- Optimized ink formulations, including the use of DDT, are crucial for enhancing TE performance.
- These hybrid films are promising for flexible, large-area energy scavenging technologies in areas like personal medical devices and the Internet of Things (IoT).
