Manipulating Single-Walled\nCarbon Nanotube Arrays\nfor Flexible Photothermoelectric Devices

Abstract

Flexible photothermoelectric (PTE) devices possess great\napplication\nprospects in the field of light energy and thermoelectric energy harvesting\nwhich are some of the cornerstones of modern green renewable energy\npower generation. However, the low efficiency of PTE materials and\nlack of suitable manufacturing processes remain an impediment to restrict\nits rapid development. Here, we designed a flexible PTE device by\nprinting a highly integrated single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs)\narray at intervals that were surface-functionalized with poly(acrylic\nacid) and poly(ethylene imine) as p–n heterofilms. After the\nintroduction of a mask to give a selective light illumination and\ntaking advantage of the photothermal effect of SWCNTs, a remarkable\ntemperature gradient along the printed SWCNTs and a considerable power\ndensity of 1.3 μW/cm² can be achieved. Meanwhile,\nboth experimental data and COMSOL theoretical simulations were adopted\nto optimize the performance of our device, showing new opportunities\nfor new generation flexible PTE devices.