Significantly enhanced thermoelectric performance of flexible PEDOT nanowire film via coating Te nanostructures

A free-standing and highly conductive poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) nanowire (NW) film was used as a working electrode for electrodepositing tellurium (Te). By adjusting the electrodeposition time, the thermoelectric (TE) performance of the free-standing hybrid film was optimized. The maximum power factor of 240.0 μW m−1 K−2 (with the electrical conductivity of 561.4 S cm−1 and the Seebeck coefficient of 65.4 μV K−1) was obtained from a hybrid film electrodeposited for 7 h, which was 8 times higher than that of the pristine PEDOT NW film. In addition, the electrical conductivity of the film almost did not change even after being bent for 400 times around a rod with radius of 4 mm, indicating an excellent flexibility. This work offers a facile approach to prepare multilayered TE films, and desirable combination of excellent flexibility, high electrical conductivity, and facile process scalability makes the free-standing PEDOT NW film particularly promising for portable and flexible electronics. Keywords: Flexible, Free-standing, PEDOT, Te, Thermoelectric