Issue 33, 2018

Enhancement of thermoelectric performance of PEDOT:PSS films by post-treatment with a superacid

Abstract

Several methods such as the addition of a polar solvent, an acid as well as various post-treatments have been used to improve the thermoelectric performance of conductive poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS) films. This paper reports a method using a superacid, trifluoromethanesulfonic acid, in methanol to treat PEDO:PSS films to improve their thermoelectric performance. Treatment of PEDOT:PSS films with this superacid in methanol leads to a significant increase in electrical conductivity from 0.7 to 2980 S cm−1 together with a moderate increase in Seebeck coefficient from 17.6 to 21.9 μV K−1, giving a power factor of 142 μW m−1 K−2, one of the highest values reported in the literature for conductive polymers. The figure of merit (ZT) value is estimated to be 0.19 under optimized conditions. The enhancement of thermoelectric performance, particularly the increase in both electrical conductivity and Seebeck coefficient, is due to the removal of the insulating component and polymer chain realignment giving in turn a denser packing of the conductive PEDOT polymer chains. This post-treatment method would offer an alternative way to improve the thermoelectric performance.

Graphical abstract: Enhancement of thermoelectric performance of PEDOT:PSS films by post-treatment with a superacid

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
08 mrt 2018
Accepted
30 apr 2018
First published
18 mei 2018
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY-NC license

RSC Adv., 2018,8, 18334-18340

Enhancement of thermoelectric performance of PEDOT:PSS films by post-treatment with a superacid

X. Wang, A. K. K. Kyaw, C. Yin, F. Wang, Q. Zhu, T. Tang, P. I. Yee and J. Xu, RSC Adv., 2018, 8, 18334 DOI: 10.1039/C8RA02058B

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