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Lu L, Cao G, Huang Y, Yan Y, Liang Y, Zhao B, Chen Z, Gao C, Wang L. Citric Acid and Polyvinyl Alcohol Induced PEDOT: PSS with Enhanced Electrical Conductivity and Stretchability for Eco-Friendly, Self-Healable, Wearable Organic Thermoelectrics. Macromol Rapid Commun 2024:e2400394. [PMID: 39073254 DOI: 10.1002/marc.202400394] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2024] [Revised: 07/09/2024] [Indexed: 07/30/2024]
Abstract
Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene): poly(styrene sulfonate) (PEDOT: PSS) is a promising material for organic thermoelectric (TE) applications. However, it is challenging to achieve PEDOT: PSS composites with stretchable, self-healable, and high TE performance. Furthermore, some existing self-healing TE materials employ toxic reagents, posing risks to human health and the environment. In this study, a novel intrinsically self-healable and wearable composite is developed by incorporating environmentally friendly, highly biocompatible, and biodegradable materials of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and citric acid (CA) into PEDOT: PSS. This results in the formation of double hydrogen bonding networks among CA, PVA, and PEDOT: PSS, inducing microstructure alignment and leading to simultaneous enhancements in both TE performance and stretchability. The resulting composites exhibit a high electrical conductivity and power factor of 259.3 ± 11.7 S·cm-1, 6.9 ± 0.4 µW·m-1·K-2, along with a tensile strain up to 68%. Furthermore, the composites display impressive self-healing ability, with 84% recovery in electrical conductivity and an 85% recovery in tensile strain. Additionally, the temperature and strain sensors based on the PEDOT: PSS/PVA/CA are prepared, which exhibit high resolution suitable for human-machine interaction and wearable devices. This work provides a reliable and robust solution for the development of environmentally friendly, self-healing and wearable TE thermoelectrics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lijun Lu
- College of Chemistry and Environmental Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518060, China
| | - Guibin Cao
- College of Chemistry and Environmental Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518060, China
| | - Yueting Huang
- College of Chemistry and Environmental Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518060, China
| | - Yibin Yan
- College of Chemistry and Environmental Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518060, China
| | - Yongxin Liang
- College of Chemistry and Environmental Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518060, China
| | - Boyu Zhao
- College of Chemistry and Environmental Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518060, China
| | - Zhifu Chen
- College of Chemistry and Environmental Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518060, China
| | - Chunmei Gao
- College of Chemistry and Environmental Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518060, China
| | - Lei Wang
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Polymer Science and Technology, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518060, China
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Yang Q, Chen S, Wang D, Qiu Y, Chen Z, Yang H, Chen X, Yin Z, Pan C. The Enhanced Thermoelectric and Mechanical Performance of Polythiophene/Single-Walled Carbon Nanotube Composites with Polar Ethylene Glycol Branched-Chain Modifications. Polymers (Basel) 2024; 16:943. [PMID: 38611201 PMCID: PMC11013142 DOI: 10.3390/polym16070943] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2023] [Revised: 09/20/2023] [Accepted: 09/26/2023] [Indexed: 04/14/2024] Open
Abstract
In order to develop flexible thermoelectric materials with thermoelectric and mechanical properties, in this study, we designed and synthesized polythiophene derivatives with branched ethylene glycol polar side-chains named P3MBTEMT, which were used in combination with single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) to prepare composite thin films and flexible thermoelectric devices. A comparison was made with a polymer named P3(TEG)T, which has a polar alkoxy linear chain. The UV-vis results indicated that the larger steric hindrances of the branched ethylene glycol side-chain in P3MBTEMT could inhibit its self-aggregation and had a stronger interaction with the SWCNTs compared to that of P3(TEG)T, which was also confirmed using Raman spectroscopy. When the mass ratio of SWCNTs to P3MBTEMT was 9:1 (represented as P3MBTEMT/SWCNTs-0.9), the composite film exhibited the highest thermoelectric properties with a power factor of 446.98 μW m-1 K-2, which was more than two times higher than that of P3(TEG)T/SWCNTs-0.9 (215.08 μW m-1 K-2). The output power of the thermoelectric device with P3MBTEMT/SWCNTs-0.9 was 2483.92 nW at 50 K, which was 1.66 times higher than that of P3(TEG)T/SWCNTs-0.9 (1492.65 nW). Furthermore, the P3MBTEMT/SWCNTs-0.5 showed superior mechanical properties compared to P3(TEG)T/SWCNTs-0.5. These results indicated that the mechanical and thermoelectric performances of polymer/SWCNT composites could be significantly improved by adding polar branched side-chains to conjugated polymers. This study provided a new strategy for creating high-performing novel flexible thermoelectric materials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qing Yang
- College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China; (Q.Y.); (S.C.); (D.W.); (H.Y.); (X.C.); (Z.Y.)
| | - Shihong Chen
- College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China; (Q.Y.); (S.C.); (D.W.); (H.Y.); (X.C.); (Z.Y.)
| | - Dagang Wang
- College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China; (Q.Y.); (S.C.); (D.W.); (H.Y.); (X.C.); (Z.Y.)
| | - Yongfu Qiu
- School of Environment and Civil Engineering, Dongguan University of Technology, Dongguan 523808, China; (Y.Q.); (Z.C.)
| | - Zhongming Chen
- School of Environment and Civil Engineering, Dongguan University of Technology, Dongguan 523808, China; (Y.Q.); (Z.C.)
| | - Haixin Yang
- College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China; (Q.Y.); (S.C.); (D.W.); (H.Y.); (X.C.); (Z.Y.)
| | - Xiaogang Chen
- College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China; (Q.Y.); (S.C.); (D.W.); (H.Y.); (X.C.); (Z.Y.)
| | - Zijian Yin
- College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China; (Q.Y.); (S.C.); (D.W.); (H.Y.); (X.C.); (Z.Y.)
| | - Chengjun Pan
- College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China; (Q.Y.); (S.C.); (D.W.); (H.Y.); (X.C.); (Z.Y.)
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Chang Y, Huang YH, Lin PS, Hong SH, Tung SH, Liu CL. Enhanced Electrical Conductivity and Mechanical Properties of Stretchable Thermoelectric Generators Formed by Doped Semiconducting Polymer/Elastomer Blends. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2024; 16:3764-3777. [PMID: 38226590 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.3c15651] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/17/2024]
Abstract
Recent research efforts have concentrated on the development of flexible and stretchable thermoelectric (TE) materials. However, significant challenges have emerged, including increased resistance and reduced electrical conductivity when subjected to strain. To address these issues, rigid semiconducting polymers and elastic insulating polymers have been incorporated and nanoconfinement effects have been exploited to enhance the charge mobility. Herein, a feasible approach is presented for fabricating stretchable TE materials by using a doped semiconducting polymer blend consisting of either poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) or poly(3,6-dithiophen-2-yl-2,5-di(2-decyltetradecyl)-pyrrolo[3,4-c]pyrrole-1,4-dione-alt-thienylenevinylene-2,5-yl) (PDVT-10) as the rigid polymer with styrene-ethylene-butylene-styrene (SEBS) as the elastic polymer. In particular, the blend composition is optimized to achieve a continuous network structure with SEBS, thereby improving the stretchability. The optimized polymer films exhibit well-ordered microstructural aggregates, indicative of good miscibility with FeCl3 and enhanced doping efficiency. Notably, a lower activation energy and higher charge-carrier concentration contribute to an improved electrical conductivity under high tensile strain, with a maximum output power of 1.39 nW at a ΔT of 22.4 K. These findings offer valuable insights and serve as guidelines for the development of stretchable p-n junction thermoelectric generators based on doped semiconducting polymer blends with potential applications in wearable electronics and energy harvesting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yun Chang
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan
| | - Yi-Hsuan Huang
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan
| | - Po-Shen Lin
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan
| | - Shao-Huan Hong
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan
| | - Shih-Huang Tung
- Institute of Polymer Science and Engineering, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan
| | - Cheng-Liang Liu
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan
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