Ag₂Se/conjugated polyelectrolyte heterojunction films for high-performance flexible thermoelectrics.

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Energy Science

Background:

• Silver selenide (Ag2Se) is a promising room-temperature thermoelectric material.
• Enhancing its performance is crucial for practical applications.
• Existing Ag2Se materials require further optimization for efficiency.

Purpose of the Study:

• To improve the thermoelectric performance of silver selenide (Ag2Se).
• To engineer a heterojunction using conjugated polyelectrolyte (CPE) at the Ag2Se surface.
• To investigate the potential for flexible thermoelectric power generation.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a planar heterojunction (PHJ) composite film by introducing CPE onto Ag2Se.
• Characterization of the film's electrical conductivity and power factor.
• Fabrication and testing of flexible thermoelectric generators (TEGs).

Main Results:

• The Ag2Se/CPE PHJ film achieved high electrical conductivity (2209.7 ± 226.9 S cm⁻¹) and power factor (2629.3 ± 291.0 µW m⁻¹ K⁻²).
• These values are the highest reported for Ag2Se-based composite films.
• The flexible TEGs demonstrated excellent mechanical flexibility with minimal resistance change after bending.

Conclusions:

• The Ag2Se/CPE heterojunction film offers a high-performance platform for thermoelectric applications.
• This material shows significant potential for flexible thermoelectric power generation in wearable electronics.
• The ion-electron coupling at the interface enhances charge transport pathways.