Advancement of Polyaniline/Carbon Nanotubes Based Thermoelectric Composites

Abstract

Organic thermoelectric (TE) materials have been widely investigated due to their good stability, easy synthesis, and high electrical conductivity. Among them, polyaniline/carbon nanotubes (PANI/CNTs) composites have attracted significant attention for pursuing enhanced TE properties to meet the demands of commercial applications. In this review, we summarize recent advances in versatile PANI/CNTs composites in terms of the dispersion methods of CNTs (such as the addition of surfactants, mechanical grinding, and CNT functional group modification methods), fabrication engineering (physical blending and in-situ polymerization), post-treatments (solvent treatments to regulate the doping level and microstructure of PANI), and multi-components composites (incorporation of other components to enhance energy filtering effect and Seebeck coefficient), respectively. Various approaches are comprehensively discussed to illustrate the microstructure modulation and conduction mechanism within PANI/CNTs composites. Furthermore, we briefly give an outlook on the challenges of the PANI/CNTs composites for achieving high performance and hope to pave a way for future development of high-performance PANI/CNTs composites for sustainable energy utilization.

Thermoelectric Properties of Polyaniline/Bismuth Antimony Telluride Composite Materials Prepared via Mechanical Mixing

“…Hence, it is expected that, by improving the dispersion of the inorganic additive within the polymer matrix, the electrical conductivity will be enhanced. This is in line with previous literature findings reporting that, in highly ordered organic composites, a better dispersion of the additive phase results in a higher Seebeck coefficient and electrical conductivity [36][37][38]. Furthermore, the contact area is another important influencing factor since interface interactions may affect (either negatively or positively) the materials' properties and, hence, their performance [39,40].…”

“…However, upon exceeding 80 • C, there is no further improvement in most samples in terms of the Seebeck coefficient and electrical conductivity (Figures 6b and 7b). This could be attributed to the fact that the PANI matrix is close to a material transition phase, which may also influence the interfacial interactions between the matrix and the additive [36][37][38].…”

Electrospun PAN/PANI/CNT scaffolds and electrical pulses: a pathway to stem cell-derived nerve regeneration

“…Many studies have employed different conductive polymers as substrates for stem cell growth, proliferation and neural differentiation, and investigated the effect of electrical stimulation on this process [71][72][73]. PANI/CNTs composites have been recently suggested as organic thermoelectric materials that are highly suitable for tissue engineering applications due to their exceptional stability, straightforward synthesis, and substantial electrical conductivity [74]. Our study further advances the field by introducing novel aligned and electroconductive nanofibrous scaffolds based on PAN, PANI, and CNTs.…”

Metal–organic framework based self-powered devices for human body energy harvesting

“…Bi 2 Te 3 -based tellurides, in particular, exhibit excellent thermoelectric properties at room temperature, with ZT values reaching around 0.96. 43,44 Besides, organic thermoelectric materials, mainly including conductive polymers such as polyaniline, 45 poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrene sulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS), 46 polypyrrole (PPy), and poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl), 47 are another type of thermoelectric materials with intrinsic flexibility and light weight. Among them, PEDOT and its derivatives are the most widely explored due to their good processability, stability, and thermoelectric properties.…”