Dispersion of carbon nanotubes by poly(Ni-ethenetetrathiolate) for organic thermoelectric hybrid materials

Thermoelectric materials convert heat energy to electric energy and vice versa. We have succeeded in developing new hybrid thermoelectric materials with high thermoelectric performance by using poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC), carbon nanotubes (CNTs), and nanodispersed poly(metal 1,1,2,2-ethenetetrathiolate) (n-metal-PETT). n-Metal-PETT can work as a promoter not only for carrier transfer between CNTs but also for the dispersion of CNTs. We prepared the dispersed n-Cu-PETT and n-Ni-PETT by using surfactant molecules in the synthetic processes. These materials had sufficient semiconductor properties, i.e., n-Cu-PETT in a pressed block showed a Seebeck coefficient of 18 µV K−1, while n-Ni-PETT showed −40 µV K−1. When these n-metal-PETTs were mixed with PVC and CNTs, the three-compound films containing n-Ni-PETT showed a power factor of 58.6 µW m−1 K−2.