Mechanically Durable and Flexible Thermoelectric Films from PEDOT:PSS/PVA/Bi_0.5Sb_1.5Te₃ Nanocomposites

Abstract

Advances in organic thermoelectric materials have focused on the enhancement of mechanical property to address the limitations and needs of forming flexible and free‐standing films for the application of flexible/wearable thermoelectric devices. Herein, thermoelectric nanocomposite films are fabricated based on conductive polymer poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS), plastic reinforcer polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), and inorganic Bi 0.5 Sb 1.5 Te 3 thermoelectric nanocrystals with various contents. The resulting PEDOT:PSS/PVA/Bi 0.5 Sb 1.5 Te 3 nanocomposite films exhibit a power factor of 47.7 µW m −1 K −2 and a ZT value of 0.05 at 300 K. More importantly, they are mechanically tough, yet very flexible with a tensile strength of 79.3 MPa and a fracture strain of 32.4%, which is sufficient to meet the required mechanical properties of textile manufacturing and body movements for flexible thermoelectric films, thus providing a substantial impact on future developments of flexible/wearable energy generation devices.