Exploration of metal-ionic liquids for enhancing electron conductivity and thermoelectric properties of single-walled carbon nanotube composites

Abstract

Leveraging metal-ionic liquids’ (MILs') unique metal-carbon binding with SWCNTs, we synthesized four MILs and fabricated composite films. Synergistic interfacial interactions (cation-π, π–π, d–p coupling) enhanced conductivity. SWCNT/FeIL achieved 5029.86 S cm⁻¹, while SWCNT/ZnIL showed a 1.5-fold improved power factor compared to pristine SWCNTs, filling a research gap in MIL-based thermoelectrics.