Preparation and thermoelectric properties of flexible PEDOT:PSS coated Te nanorod/PEDOT nanowire composite films

Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) nanowire (PEDOT NW) and poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene): poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) coated Te nanorods (PC-Te) were successfully synthesized through a modified self-assembled micellar soft-template process and a wet chemical method, respectively. Flexible self-supporting PC-Te/PEDOT NW composite films were prepared via a vacuum filtration technology. The microstructures of the PC-Te were characterized by the transmission electron microscopy, and the influence of PC-Te content on thermoelectric performance of the composite film was investigated. As the increase of PC-Te content, the Seebeck coefficient of the samples increased, and the electrical conductivity were decreased. The composite film with 70% PC-Te achieved a maximum power factor of 47.4 μW/mK² (380 K). The composite film showed good flexibility, and after bending for 500 times, the resistance change rate was 9.2%.