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Electrospun SnO2 and its composite V2O5 nanofibers for thermoelectric power generator

  • Original Paper: Sol-gel and hybrid materials for energy, environment and building applications
  • Published:
Journal of Sol-Gel Science and Technology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Nanofibers have attracted attention in the field of thermoelectric (TE) because of their remarkable properties; abundance, lightweight with the high-surface area-to-volume ratio, low thermal conductivity, mechanically stable, and non-toxic. In applications, like TE wearable device for energy harvesting, development of new composite nanofibers holds more significant potential with the targeted specifications. In our research, we have investigated for the first-time fiber nanocomposites for the application of wearable power generator in terms of TE energy. The electrospun technique attracts in the development of nanostructured materials in the field of thermoelectric power generation. The significance of this paper is to flourish the wearable device materials of 1D vanadium oxide/tin oxide (V2O5/SnO2) composite nanofibers synthesized using sol–gel method followed by electrospinning process. The structural and morphology properties of SnO2 fibers belong to tetragonal structure and nanocomposite relates to tetragonal (SnO2) and orthorhombic (V2O5) structure, diameter in the range of 100–400 nm. The high-surface area to volume ratio of nanofiber allowed more significant phonon scattering and enhance the efficiency. The nanofiber exhibits the outstanding TE properties of the Seebeck coefficient and power factor of 20–100 V/K and 0.3–1.6 µW/K2m at room temperature to 400 K, which is the highest among the fiber SnO2 and its composites. The nanofibers integration on wearable devices paves the way towards ultralight, thermally stable, tunable density and mechanically flexibile are unique, where nanocomposite offers a new opportunity to thermoelectric applications.

Schematic representation of fabrication process PVA-SnO2 NFs and PVA-V2O5/SnO2 NCF.

Highlights

  • Fabrication of 1D nanofibers, which increases phonon scattering and enhanced power factor.

  • The electrospun PVA-SnO2 and PVA-V2O5/SnO2 nanocomposites fiber for the first time was reported as a better thermoelectric material.

  • The exceptional power factor of 0.3 to 1.6 μW/K2m at room temperature to 400 K, which is the top-notch among the fiber SnO2 and its composites.

  • SnO2 composite nanofibers such integration paves the way towards ultralight, tunable density, thermally, and mechanically stable thermoelectric applications.

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Acknowledgements

MPS delightedly acknowledges Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, Government of India, New Delhi, India for financial support through [CSIR-HRDG No. 09/1045 (0019) 2K18 EMR I]. BJC acknowledges a research grant from the National Research Foundation of Korea funded by the Korean government (MSIP) (NRF-2015R1A5A1036133). We also thank sincerely to SRM IST, Kattankulathur and gratefully acknowledge Prof. C. Muthamizhchelvan, Director E&T, Prof. D. John Thiruvadigal, Dean Sciences and Dr. C. Preferencial Kala, Head, Physics and Nanotechnology, SRM IST for the extended facilities created under (DST-FIST SR/FST/PSI-155/2010).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Crystal Growth and Thin Film Laboratory, Department of Physics and Nanotechnology, SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Kattankulathur, Tamil Nadu, 603203, India

    Mohana Priya Subramaniam, Arjun Satheesh, Geetha Arunachalam, Ramamurthi Kandaswamy & Alagiriswamy A.

  2. School of Interdisciplinary Design and Innovation (SIDI), Indian Institute of Information Technology Design and Manufacturing (IIITDM) Kancheepuram, Chennai, 600127, India

    Pandiyarasan Veluswamy

  3. Flexible Thermoelectric Device Technology Center, Daejeon, 34141, Republic of Korea

    Pandiyarasan Veluswamy

  4. School of Electrical Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, 34141, Republic of Korea

    Byung Jin Cho

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  1. Mohana Priya Subramaniam
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Correspondence to Pandiyarasan Veluswamy or Byung Jin Cho.

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Subramaniam, M.P., Veluswamy, P., Satheesh, A. et al. Electrospun SnO2 and its composite V2O5 nanofibers for thermoelectric power generator. J Sol-Gel Sci Technol 98, 183–192 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10971-020-05443-4

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