Flexible Two-Dimensional Inorganic Nanosheet/PEDOT:PSS Thermoelectric Composite Films

Abstract

Flexible thermoelectric generators (f-TEGs) are of importance for self-powered, portable, and wearable electronics. The materials’ thermoelectric (TE) performance is one of the factors that affect the conversion efficiency of f-TEGs. Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) as a kind of conducting polymers has low thermal conductivity and good processability in solution; however, its TE properties are still much lower than those of the inorganic TE materials, which limits its wide applications in f-TEGs. Two-dimensional (2D) inorganic nanosheets (NSs) exfoliated from their corresponding powders are promising filler materials for enhancing the TE properties of PEDOT:PSS. This paper provides a brief review on the research progress of flexible 2D inorganic NS/PEDOT:PSS composite films fabricated by vacuum filtration, drop casting, and spin coating. The challenges, perspectives, and outlooks of flexible 2D inorganic NS/PEDOT:PSS composite films are further discussed.