One-step post-treatment with amphoteric salt for simultaneous improvement of Seebeck coefficient and electrical conductivity of PEDOT: PSS thermoelectric films

摘要

Continuous acid-base treatment can achieve high thermoelectric performance for PEDOT:PSS film, but multiple surface treatments damage samples easily, lowering yield rates as well as increasing preparation costs, pre-venting its commercialization. To this end, we present an amphoteric salt-based post-treatment strategy for optimizing the charge transport properties and doping levels of PEDOT:PSS films, thereby achieving high elec-trical conductivity (a) and Seebeck coefficient (S) simultaneously. As a result, the optimal PEDOT:PSS thermo-electric film delivers a a of 1462 S center dot cm- 1 and a S of 26.2 mu V center dot K-1, thus achieving a power factor (PF) of 100.4 mu W center dot m- 1 center dot K-2, which is significantly higher than pristine specimens with a PF lower than 0.1 mu W center dot m-1 center dot K-2.