Synthesis and Characterization of Polythiophene/Bi2Te3 Nanocomposite Thermoelectric Material

To achieve low thermal conductivity, polythiophene (PTh)/bismuth telluride (Bi2Te3) nanocomposite has been prepared by spark plasma sintering using a mixture of nanosized Bi2Te3 and PTh powders. Bi2Te3 powder with spherical-shaped particles of 30 nm diameter and PTh nanosheet powder were first prepared by hydrothermal synthesis and chemical oxidation, respectively. X-ray diffraction analysis and scanning electron microscopy observations revealed that the hybrid composite consists of PTh nanosheets and spherical Bi2Te3. The organic PTh acts as an adhesive in the composite. Transport measurements showed that the PTh in the Bi2Te3 matrix can reduce its thermal conductivity significantly, but also dramatically reduces its electrical conductivity. As a result, the figure of merit of the composite is lower than that of pure Bi2Te3 prepared under the same conditions. The maximum value of ZT for the sample with 5% PTh (by weight) was 0.18 at 473 K, which is rather high compared with other polymer/inorganic thermoelectric material composites.

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