Abstract We developed an unconventional route to produce uniform and intimately interfaced nanocomposite films for their potential application in thermoelectric (TE) devices. Here, amino-terminated poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl) (P3HT) was chemically adhered onto the surface of a functionalized double-walled carbon nanotube (DWCNT), via an amidation reaction, to form P3HT-grafted DWCNT (P3HT-g-DWCNT). As the P3HT chains are intimately and permanently tethered on the DWCNT surface, a well-defined P3HT/DWCNT interface prevents the DWCNT from aggregating by promoting the solubility of P3HT-g-DWCNT nanocomposites in organic solvent. Such characteristic changes in DWCNT by polymer grafting can improve the thermoelectric properties of DWCNT films. The covalently grafted P3HT-g-DWCNT film exhibits a significantly enhanced Seebeck coefficient of 116. 6 μV K−1, as compared to a physically mixed P3HT/DWCNT composite (69.2 μV K−1), in conjunction with a high power output in TE modules. This facile approach would open a new way to synthesize intimately connected nanocomposites made up of conductive polymers and carbon materials for high performance thermoelectrics.

中文翻译：

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通过共价接枝改善热电复合材料中半导体聚合物和碳纳米管之间的相互作用

摘要 我们开发了一种非常规路线来生产均匀且紧密界面的纳米复合薄膜，以用于其在热电 (TE) 设备中的潜在应用。在这里，氨基封端的聚（3-己基噻吩-2,5-二基）（P3HT）通过酰胺化反应化学粘附到功能化双壁碳纳米管（DWCNT）的表面，形成 P3HT 接枝的 DWCNT（ P3HT-g-DWCNT）。由于 P3HT 链紧密且永久地束缚在 DWCNT 表面上，明确定义的 P3HT/DWCNT 界面通过促进 P3HT-g-DWCNT 纳米复合材料在有机溶剂中的溶解度来防止 DWCNT 聚集。通过聚合物接枝在 DWCNT 中的这种特性变化可以提高 DWCNT 薄膜的热电性能。共价接枝的 P3HT-g-DWCNT 薄膜表现出显着提高的 116 的塞贝克系数。6 μV K-1，与物理混合的 P3HT/DWCNT 复合材料 (69.2 μV K-1) 相比，结合 TE 模块的高功率输出。这种简便的方法将为合成由导电聚合物和碳材料组成的用于高性能热电的紧密连接的纳米复合材料开辟一条新途径。