Enhanced Thermoelectric Properties of Stable n-Type Ferrocene Derivatives-Doped Polyethylenimine/Single-Walled Carbon Nanotube Composite Films

Preparing stable n-type flexible single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT)-based thermoelectric films with high thermoelectric (TE) performance is desirable for self-powering wearable electronics but remains a challenge. Here, the interface regulation and thermoelectric enhancement mechanism of ferrocene derivatives on polyethylenimine/single-walled carbon nanotube (PEI/SWCNT) composite films have been explored by doping ferrocene derivatives (f-Fc-OH) into PEI/SWCNT films. The results show that the introduction of f-Fc-OH leads to the formation of "thorn" structures on the surfaces of SWCNT bundles via hydrophilic and hydrophobic interactions, the generated energy-filtering effect improves the thermoelectric properties of the PEI/SWCNT film, and the f-Fc-OH-doped PEI/SWCNT (f-Fc-OH/PEI/SWCNT) achieves the highest room-temperature power factor of 182.22 ± 8.60 μW m