Thermoelectric generation
capable of delivering reliable performance in the low-temperature
range (<150 °C) for large-scale deployment has been a challenge
mainly due to limited properties of thermoelectric materials. However,
realizing interdependence of topological insulators and thermoelectricity,
a new research dimension on tailoring and using the topological-insulator
boundary states for thermoelectric enhancement has emerged. Here,
we demonstrate a promising hybrid nanowire of topological bismuth
telluride (Bi2Te3) within the conductive poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):polystyrenesulfonate
(PEDOT:PSS) matrix using the in situ one-pot synthesis to be incorporated
into a three-dimensional network of self-assembled hybrid thermoelectric
nanofilms for the scalable thermoelectric application. Significantly,
the nanowire-incorporated film network exhibits simultaneous increase
in electrical conductivity and Seebeck coefficient as opposed to reduced
thermal conductivity, improving thermoelectric performance. Based
on comprehensive measurements for electronic transport of individual
nanowires revealing an interfacial conduction path along the Bi2Te3 core inside the encapsulating layer and that
the hybrid nanowire is n-type semiconducting, the enhanced thermoelectricity
is ascribed to increased hole mobility due to electron transfer from
Bi2Te3 to PEDOT:PSS and importantly charge transport
via the Bi2Te3–PEDOT:PSS interface. Scaling
up the nanostructured material to construct a thermoelectric generator
having the generic pipeline-insulator geometry, the device exhibits
a power factor and a figure of merit of 7.45 μW m–1 K–2 and 0.048, respectively, with an unprecedented
output power of 130 μW and 15 day operational stability at ΔT = 60 °C. Our findings not only encourage a new approach
to cost-effective thermoelectric generation, but they could also provide
a route for the enhancement of other applications based on the topological
nanowire.
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