Zhang Yinhang, Park Soo-Jin
Department of Chemistry, Inha University, 100 Inharo, Incheon 22212, Korea.
Polymers (Basel). 2019 May 20;11(5):909. doi: 10.3390/polym11050909.
In the past few decades, organic thermoelectric materials/devices, which can exhibit remarkable potential in green energy conversion, have drawn great attention and interest due to their easy processing, light weight, intrinsically low thermal conductivity, and mechanical flexibility. Compared to traditional batteries, thermoelectric materials have high prospects as alternative power generators for harvesting green energy. Although crystalline inorganic semiconductors have dominated the fields of thermoelectric materials up to now, their practical applications are limited by their intrinsic fragility and high toxicity. The integration of organic polymers with inorganic nanoparticles has been widely employed to tailor the thermoelectric performance of polymers, which not only can combine the advantages of both components but also display interesting transport phenomena between organic polymers and inorganic nanoparticles. In this review, parameters affecting the thermoelectric properties of materials were briefly introduced. Some recently developed n-type and p-type thermoelectric films and related devices were illustrated along with their thermoelectric performance, methods of preparation, and future applications. This review will help beginners to quickly understand and master basic knowledge of thermoelectric materials, thus inspiring them to design and develop more efficient thermoelectric devices.
在过去几十年里，有机热电材料/器件在绿色能源转换方面展现出巨大潜力，因其易于加工、重量轻、固有热导率低以及机械柔韧性而备受关注。与传统电池相比，热电材料作为收集绿色能源的替代电源具有很高的前景。尽管迄今为止晶体无机半导体在热电材料领域占据主导地位，但其实际应用受到其固有脆性和高毒性的限制。有机聚合物与无机纳米粒子的结合已被广泛用于调整聚合物的热电性能，这不仅可以结合两种组分的优点，还能在有机聚合物和无机纳米粒子之间展现出有趣的输运现象。在这篇综述中，简要介绍了影响材料热电性能的参数。阐述了一些最近开发的n型和p型热电薄膜及相关器件，以及它们的热电性能、制备方法和未来应用。这篇综述将帮助初学者快速理解和掌握热电材料的基础知识，从而激发他们设计和开发更高效的热电器件。
