Promising Thermoelectric Properties of Commercial PEDOT:PSS Materials and Their Bi2Te3 Powder Composites

Abstract

Newly commercialized PEDOT:PSS products CLEVIOS PH1000 and FE-T, among the most conducting of polymers, show unexpectedly higher Seebeck coefficients than older CLEVIOS P products that were studied by other groups in the past, leading to promising thermoelectric (TE) power factors around 47 μW/m K² and 30 μW/m K² respectively. By incorporating both n and p type Bi₂Te₃ ball milled powders into these PEDOT:PSS products, power factor enhancements for both p and n polymer composite materials are achieved. The contact resistance between Bi₂Te₃ and PEDOT is identified as the limiting factor for further TE property improvement. These composites can be used for all-solution-processed TE devices on flexible substrates as a new fabrication option.