Facile fabrication of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate)-coated selenium nanowire/carbon nanotube composite films for flexible thermoelectric applications

Abstract

In this study, we synthesized a flexible thermoelectric composite film consisting of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiopene)-poly(4-styrenesulfonate)-coated selenium nanowires (PEDOT:PSS-coated Se NWs) and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) via simple solution mixing. PEDOT:PSS-coated Se NWs were synthesized by coating PEDOT:PSS-on the surface of Se during the process of synthesizing Se NWs. Then, flexible PEDOT:PSS-coated Se/MWCNT composite films were synthesized by filtration. To verify the thermoelectric (TE) potential, the TE properties of the composite film with various MWCNT contents were investigated to determine the optimal conditions for improved TE performance. The maximum power factor of the composite film was ∼73.94 μW (m K²)⁻¹, which is much higher than that of Se and PEDOT:PSS. This study suggests an approach to fabricate flexible inorganic/organic hybrid films with high TE performance.