Electric Field-Assisted Additive Manufacturing Polyaniline Based Composites for Thermoelectric Energy Conversion

Abstract

Polyaniline (PANi) based composites were made by electric force assisted nanocasting. The PANi matrix was mixed with thermoelectric Bi–Te alloy nanoparticles. The uniform dispersion of the nanoparticles in the polymer was achieved via electric field assisted casting. The nanoparticles can enhance the thermoelectricity, specifically increase the Seebeck coefficient. Structure analysis and Seebeck effect experiments were performed. The microstructure of the composite materials was studied by the use of electron microscopy. The preliminary results show that the nanocomposites are n-type with an average Seebeck value of 30 μV/K. The electrical resistance of the composites is about 35 MΩ.