Fabrication of Bismuth Telluride Thermoelectric Films Containing Conductive Polymers Using a Printing Method

摘要

We prepared a mixture of thermoelectric bismuth telluride particles, a conductive polymer [poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS)], poly(acrylic acid) (PAA), and several organic additives to fabricate thermoelectric films using printing or coating techniques. In the mixture, the organic components (PEDOT:PSS, PAA, and an additive) act as a binder to connect bismuth telluride particles mechanically and electrically. Among the organic additives used, glycerol significantly enhanced the electrical conductivity and bismuth telluride particle dispersibility in the mixture. Bi_(0.4)Te_(3.0)Sb_(1.6) films fabricated by spin-coating the mixture showed a thermoelectric figure of merit (ZT) of 0.2 at 300 K when the Bi_(0.4)Te_3Sb_(1.6) particle diameter was 2.8 μm and its concentration in the elastic films was 95 wt.%.