Organic-based thermoelectrics

Abstract

Thermoelectric materials have the ability to transform thermal energy into electrical energy and vice versa. For an extended period of time, only inorganic materials have been considered for thermoelectric research and application, but recent advances in the field of organic semiconductors established the basis for organic thermoelectrics research. Pristine organic semiconductors often face the problem of undesirable suboptimal transport properties and, therefore, recent approaches have focused on combining different materials, where both organic–organic and organic–inorganic hybrid systems have led to improved efficiency in organic thermoelectrics. This review aims to provide a general overview on the recent advances for organic-based thermoelectrics with an emphasis on the most thoroughly investigated material classes and the approaches employed to control their thermoelectric transport properties.