Acido-treatment of PEDOT:PSS/Carbon Dots (CDots) nano-composite films for high thermoelectric power factor performance and generator

Thermoelectric materials are considered a main key for sustainable development because they have the ability to convert a low-quality heat into electrical energy. Among them, polymer nano-composite materials have captured attention owing to their unique features such as resilience, low or no toxicity, and abundance. In this work, the thermoelectric parameters of carbon dots/poly(3,4-ethylene-dioxythiophene): poly (styrenesulphonate) (CDots/PEDOT:PSS) nano-composite films have been significantly enhanced by using Sulphuric (H2SO4) acids treatment approach. The electrical conductivity and power factor have remarkably increased, while Seebeck coefficient has decreased after the acid treatment when compared to the as prepared CDots/PEDOT:PSS. The optimal electrical conductivity of CDots/PEDOT:PSS films is 1753.92 ± 50 S/cm and the power factor is 148.27 ± 20 μW/mK2 for 10 M of H2SO4 acid at room temperature. The improvement in the thermoelectric performance is ascribed to the impact of high carrier mobility and carrier concentration by the H2SO4 treated nano-composite. A flexible thermoelectric device containing 5 legs is engineered and can generate an output voltage of (Voutput = 4.3 mV) at a ΔT = 18 K. Finally, the obtained data confirm that the resultant acid treated CDots/PEDOT:PSS nano-composite represents a great chance for future industrial applications in smart thermoelectric power devices.