Exfoliated Sn-Se-Te based nanosheets and their flexible thermoelectric composites with poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) fabricated by solution processing

摘要

We present flexible inorganic/organic composite films with high thermoelectric performance. SnSe0.97Te0.03 (Sn-Se-Te) is a promising inorganic material, with an outstanding Seebeck coefficient, and it can be successfully exfoliated from bulk ingots into nanosheets. We incorporated these Sn-Se-Te nanosheets in a conductive poly (3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene): poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) matrix to obtain Sn-Se-Te nanosheets(x)/ PEDOT: PSS composite films (where x indicates the loading ratio in wt% of the Sn-Se-Te nanosheets). The thermoelectric properties of these composites were examined and discussed as a function of x, and their thermoelectric power factor was optimized. The maximum power factor (similar to 130.3 mu Wm(-1).K-2) with outstanding durability was obtained with the Sn-Se-Te nanosheets(15)/ PEDOT: PSS composite, and this was attributed to the improved Seebeck coefficient. Hence, the incorporation of Sn-Se-Te nanosheets and PEDOT: PSS is promising for flexible thermoelectric applications.