Polyethylene Glycol as Additive to Achieve N-Conductive Melt-Mixed Polymer/Carbon Nanotube Composites for Thermoelectric Application
Date
Authors
Volume
Issue
Journal
Series Titel
Book Title
Publisher
Link to publishers version
Abstract
The development of thermoelectric (TE) materials based on thermoplastic polymers and carbon nanotubes is a focus of current TE research activities. For a TE module, both p- and n-conductive composites are required, whereby the production of n-conductive materials is a particular challenge. The present study investigates whether adding polyethylene glycol (PEG) as n-dopant during the melt-mixing of the conductive composites based on polycarbonate, poly(ether ether ketone), or poly(butylene terephthalate) with singlewalled carbon nanotubes (0.5 to 2 wt%) is a possible solution. It was shown that for all three polymer types, a change in the sign of the Seebeck coefficient from positive to negative could be achieved when at least 1.5 wt% PEG was added. The most negative Seebeck coefficients were determined to be −30.1 µV/K (PC), −44.1 µV/K (PEEK), and −14.5 µV/K (PBT). The maximal power factors ranged between 0.0078 µW/m·K2 (PC), 0.035 µW/m·K2 (PEEK), and 0.0051 µW/m·K2 (PBT).