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Title: Polymer-Free Carbon Nanotube Thermoelectrics with Improved Charge Carrier Transport and Power Factor

Abstract

Here, semiconducting single-walled carbon nanotubes (s-SWCNTs) have recently attracted attention for their promise as active components in a variety of optical and electronic applications, including thermoelectricity generation. Here we demonstrate that removing the wrapping polymer from the highly enriched s-SWCNT network leads to substantial improvements in charge carrier transport and thermoelectric power factor. These improvements arise primarily from an increase in charge carrier mobility within the s-SWCNT networks because of removal of the insulating polymer and control of the level of nanotube bundling in the network, which enables higher thin-film conductivity for a given carrier density. Ultimately, these studies demonstrate that highly enriched s-SWCNT thin films, in the complete absence of any accompanying semiconducting polymer, can attain thermoelectric power factors in the range of approximately 400 μW m-1K-2, which is on par with that of some of the best single-component organic thermoelectrics demonstrated to date.

Authors:
 [1];  [1];  [1];  [2];  [1];  [1];  [1]
+ Show Author Affiliations
  1. Chemistry & Nanoscience Center, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, 15013 Denver West Parkway, Golden, Colorado 80401, United States
  2. Department of Physics, Metropolitan State University of Denver, 1201 Fifth Street, Denver, Colorado 80204, United States
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Office of Workforce Development for Teachers & Scientists (WDTS); USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE); USDOE Office of Science (SC), Workforce Development for Teachers and Scientists (WDTS)
OSTI Identifier:
1337429
Alternate Identifier(s):
OSTI ID: 1347422
Report Number(s):
NREL/JA-5900-66753
Journal ID: ISSN 2380-8195
Grant/Contract Number:  
AC36-08GO28308
Resource Type:
Published Article
Journal Name:
ACS Energy Letters
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Name: ACS Energy Letters Journal Volume: 1 Journal Issue: 6; Journal ID: ISSN 2380-8195
Publisher:
American Chemical Society
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE; carbon nanotubes; thermoelectricity; charge carrier transport

Citation Formats

Norton-Baker, Brenna, Ihly, Rachelle, Gould, Isaac E., Avery, Azure D., Owczarczyk, Zbyslaw R., Ferguson, Andrew J., and Blackburn, Jeffrey L. Polymer-Free Carbon Nanotube Thermoelectrics with Improved Charge Carrier Transport and Power Factor. United States: N. p., 2016. Web. doi:10.1021/acsenergylett.6b00417.
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Norton-Baker, Brenna, Ihly, Rachelle, Gould, Isaac E., Avery, Azure D., Owczarczyk, Zbyslaw R., Ferguson, Andrew J., & Blackburn, Jeffrey L. Polymer-Free Carbon Nanotube Thermoelectrics with Improved Charge Carrier Transport and Power Factor. United States. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsenergylett.6b00417
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Norton-Baker, Brenna, Ihly, Rachelle, Gould, Isaac E., Avery, Azure D., Owczarczyk, Zbyslaw R., Ferguson, Andrew J., and Blackburn, Jeffrey L. Thu . "Polymer-Free Carbon Nanotube Thermoelectrics with Improved Charge Carrier Transport and Power Factor". United States. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsenergylett.6b00417.
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@article{osti_1337429,
title = {Polymer-Free Carbon Nanotube Thermoelectrics with Improved Charge Carrier Transport and Power Factor},
author = {Norton-Baker, Brenna and Ihly, Rachelle and Gould, Isaac E. and Avery, Azure D. and Owczarczyk, Zbyslaw R. and Ferguson, Andrew J. and Blackburn, Jeffrey L.},
abstractNote = {Here, semiconducting single-walled carbon nanotubes (s-SWCNTs) have recently attracted attention for their promise as active components in a variety of optical and electronic applications, including thermoelectricity generation. Here we demonstrate that removing the wrapping polymer from the highly enriched s-SWCNT network leads to substantial improvements in charge carrier transport and thermoelectric power factor. These improvements arise primarily from an increase in charge carrier mobility within the s-SWCNT networks because of removal of the insulating polymer and control of the level of nanotube bundling in the network, which enables higher thin-film conductivity for a given carrier density. Ultimately, these studies demonstrate that highly enriched s-SWCNT thin films, in the complete absence of any accompanying semiconducting polymer, can attain thermoelectric power factors in the range of approximately 400 μW m-1K-2, which is on par with that of some of the best single-component organic thermoelectrics demonstrated to date.},
doi = {10.1021/acsenergylett.6b00417},
journal = {ACS Energy Letters},
number = 6,
volume = 1,
place = {United States},
year = {Thu Nov 17 00:00:00 EST 2016},
month = {Thu Nov 17 00:00:00 EST 2016}
}
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https://doi.org/10.1021/acsenergylett.6b00417
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