High Seebeck Coefficient and Power Factor in n-Type Organic Thermoelectrics
Journal article, 2018

The n-type thermoelectric properties of [6,6]-phenyl-C 61 -butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) are investigated for different solution-based doping methods. A novel inverse-sequential doping method where the semiconductor (PCBM) is deposited on a previously cast dopant 4-(1,3-dimethyl-2,3-dihydro-1H-benzoimidazol-2-yl)-N,N-diphenylaniline film to achieve a very high power factor PF ≈ 35 µW m −1 K −2 with a conductivity σ ≈ 40 S m −1 is introduced. It is also shown that n-type organic semiconductors obey the −1/4 power law relation between Seebeck coefficient S and σ that are previously found for p-type materials. An analytical model on basis of variable range hopping unifies these results. The power law for n-type materials is shifted toward higher conductivities by two orders of magnitude with respect to that of p-type, suggesting strongly that n-type organic semiconductors can eventually become superior to their p-type counterparts. Adding a small fraction lower lowest unoccupied molecular orbital material (core-cyanated naphthalene diimide) into PCBM leads to a higher S for inverse-sequential doping but not for bulk doping due to different morphologies.

power factor

organic thermoelectrics

Seebeck coefficient

n-type doping

Author

Guangzheng Zuo

Linköping University

Zhaojun Li

Chalmers, Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Applied Chemistry

Ergang Wang

Chalmers, Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Applied Chemistry

M. Kemerink

Linköping University

Advanced Electronic Materials

2199-160X (ISSN) 2199160x (eISSN)

Vol. 4 1 1700501

Subject Categories

Inorganic Chemistry

Materials Chemistry

Condensed Matter Physics

DOI

10.1002/aelm.201700501

More information

Latest update

6/7/2018 6