Lightweight, robust, and flexible single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) materials can be processed inexpensively using solution-based techniques, similar to other organic semiconductors. In contrast to many semiconducting polymers, semiconducting SWCNTs (s-SWCNTs) represent unique one-dimensional organic semiconductors with chemical and physical properties that facilitate equivalent transport of electrons and holes. These factors have driven increasing attention to employing s-SWCNTs for electronic and energy harvesting applications, including thermoelectric (TE) generators. Here we demonstrate a combination of ink chemistry, solid-state polymer removal, and charge-transfer doping strategies that enable unprecedented n-type and p-type TE power factors, in the range of 700 μW m⁻¹ K⁻² at 298 K for the same solution-processed highly enriched thin films containing 100% s-SWCNTs. We also demonstrate that the thermal conductivity appears to decrease with decreasing s-SWCNT diameter, leading to a peak material zT ≈ 0.12 for s-SWCNTs with diameters in the range of 1.0 nm. Our results indicate that the TE performance of s-SWCNT-only material systems is approaching that of traditional inorganic semiconductors, paving the way for these materials to be used as the primary components for efficient, all-organic TE generators.

中文翻译：

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掺杂的半导体单壁碳纳米管薄膜的大n型和p型热电功率因数

类似于其他有机半导体，可以使用基于溶液的技术廉价地处理轻质，坚固且灵活的单壁碳纳米管（SWCNT）材料。与许多半导体聚合物相比，半导体SWCNT（s-SWCNT）代表具有化学和物理特性的独特一维有机半导体，可促进电子和空穴的等效传输。这些因素促使人们越来越重视将s-SWCNT用于电子和能量收集应用，包括热电（TE）发电机。在这里，我们展示了墨水化学，固态聚合物去除和电荷转移掺杂策略的组合，这些策略可实现空前的n型和p型TE功率因数，范围为700μWm ^-1 K ^-2对于包含100％s-SWCNT的相同溶液处理的高富集薄膜，在298 K下的温度为190K。我们还证明，随着s-SWCNT直径的减小，热导率似乎会降低，从而导致直径在1.0 nm范围内的s-SWCNT的峰值材料zT≈0.12。我们的结果表明，仅s-SWCNT的材料系统的TE性能已接近传统无机半导体的TE性能，为将这些材料用作高效的全有机TE发生器的主要组件铺平了道路。