Advances in Thermoelectric Composites Consisting of Conductive Polymers and Fillers with Different Architectures

Abstract

Stretchable wireless power is in increasingly high demand in fields such as smart devices, flexible robots, and electronic skins. Thermoelectric devices are able to convert heat into electricity due to the Seebeck effect, making them promising candidates for wearable electronics. Therefore, high-performance conductive polymer-based composites are urgently required for flexible wearable thermoelectric devices for the utilization of low-grade thermal energy. In this review, mechanisms and optimization strategies for polymer-based thermoelectric composites containing fillers of different architectures will be introduced, and recent advances in the development of such thermoelectric composites containing 0- to 3-dimensional filler components will be presented and outlooked.

A PEDOT:PSS nanocomposite film doped with black phosphorus modified with silver nanoparticles for wearable photothermoelectric generators

“…[1][2][3] Among the various routes investigated, thermoelectric (TE) materials have emerged as a highly promising solution due to their unique capability to directly convert heat into electricity through the Seebeck effect. [4][5][6][7] In particular, organic-based materials exhibit inherently low thermal conductivities, making them particularly attractive for TE applications. The energy conversion efficiency of TE materials is generally assessed by using the gure of merit (ZT), which is calculated using the equation ZT = S 2 sT/k.…”

Ferroelectric polarization reversals in C2N/α-In2Se3 van der Waals heterostructures: a conversion from the traditional type-II to S-scheme

“…The recent surge of interest in fabricating van der Waals (vdW) heterostructures by layering various two-dimensional (2D) materials is a testament to the method’s effectiveness in engendering outstanding diverse properties ( Frisenda et al, 2018 ; Huo and Guo, 2022 ; Ren et al, 2023a ; Wang et al, 2023 ). These heterostructures benefit from in-plane stability, secured by robust covalent bonds, while layers in the stacking direction are interconnected through the weaker vdW forces ( Ajayan et al, 2016 ; Zhang et al, 2023 ).…”

“…Layered carbon nitride (C 2 N) has emerged as a promising metal-free photocatalyst for various energy conversion and environmental remediation applications ( Huo and Guo, 2022 ). The graphitic structure of C 2 N with conjugated tri-s-triazine units linked by tertiary amines enables strong visible light absorption, high chemical stability, and tunable electronic properties.…”

Design and Optimization Strategies for Flexible Quasi-Solid-State Thermo-Electrochemical Cells

“…Moreover, a complete thermoelectric device consisting of simply a thermoelectric material and electrodes can be integrated by circuit design, which can be applied to small electronic and wearable devices, allowing for the collection and utilization of thermal energy over a wider range of temperature differences. Thermoelectric materials are categorized into electronic thermoelectric materials, ionic thermoelectric materials, and thermo-electrochemical cells (TECs), based on their mechanism of operation [1][2][3][4].…”

“…Cascade thermoelectric module: multiple thermoelectric modules are cascaded together to improve the thermoelectric conversion efficiency. In the cascade thermoelectric module, the waste heat from the high-temperature heat source can be further utilized, thus improving the energy conversion efficiency of the whole system [2,19,27,78].…”