Preparation of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)-poly(styrenesulfonate)/Fe3O4 nanocomposite film and its thermoelectric performance

Abstract

Free-standing nanocomposite films of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)-poly(styrenesulfonate)/Fe3O4 were successfully prepared by mechanically blending magnetic Fe3O4 nanoparticles with poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)-poly(styrenesulfonate) solution and casting the mixed solution on polypropylene film substrates. The characterization of nanocomposite films was investigated by scanning electron microscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectra. The result indicated that the Fe3O4 nanoparticles were composited together well with poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)-poly(styrenesulfonate). It was found that the content of Fe3O4 has a significant effect on the electrical conductivity of the nanocomposite film. The maximum electrical conductivity could be up to 218 S/cm, at optical weight ratio (25 wt% Fe3O4). Simultaneously, the Seebeck coefficient fluctuated smoothly in a tiny range (13.1–15.8 µV/K), and the power factor was calculated to be 5.26 μW/mK2.