Photo-Seebeck Effects in Doped P3HT Composites
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MRS Advances © 2019 Materials Research Society DOI: 10.1557/adv.2019.94
Photo-Seebeck Effects in Doped P3HT Composites Harold O. Lee III1,2 and Sam-Shajing Sun1,2,3*
1Center
2PhD
for Materials Research, Norfolk State University, Norfolk, VA 23504, USA
Program in Materials Science and Engineering, Norfolk State University, Norfolk, VA 23504, USA
3Department
of Chemistry, Norfolk State University, Norfolk, VA 23504, USA
ABSTRACT
As the global energy and environmental preservation needs continue to grow, the demand for renewable and clean energy conversion materials and devices continues to rise as well. Thermoelectric (TE) materials and devices can convert waste heat into electricity and therefore it can be a potential renewable and clean energy source. Organic and polymeric materials typically exhibit low electrical conductivities, high Seebeck coefficients, and orders of magnitude lower thermal conductivities as compared to their inorganic counterparts. However, the electrical conductivities of organic/polymeric materials are tunable via doping or molecular engineering. In this study, a series of carefully doped P3HT composites are systematically evaluated for heat as well as light modulated devices. Along with a high absorption coefficient, when the polymer film thickness is less than the penetration depth of the incoming photons, the photo effects are significant and could be very useful for light modulations of thermoelectric functions. With further systematic studies and a better understanding of the mechanisms behind the photo-Seebeck effect, the development of potential high-efficiency multi-function materials and devices appears feasible.
INTRODUCTION As the global energy crisis continues to grow, the demand on the optimization of renewable energy materials and devices continues to rise as well. One of the rising areas in renewable energy conversion is the field of thermoelectrics. Thermoelectric (TE)
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materials and devices are expected to play a critical role in alleviating today’s global energy crisis because of the vast amount of waste heat generated from industry or from humans. TE materials’ capability of converting heat into electricity will lead to solid-state devices that can serve as a renewable energy source regardless of environmental conditions such as sunlight, wind, or hydro. In regard to TE materials, research has been mostly focused on inorganic Telluride based alloys such Bi2Te3 and PbTe alloys. While they have good thermoelectric properties, the toxicity and materials supply are challenges. Additionally, further enhancement of their thermoelectric properties has stalled due to their high thermal conductivities [1]. Fortunately, organic semiconductors (OSCs) have been considered candidates for TE materials because they have orders of magnitud
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