Enhanced thermoelectric properties of porous hybrid ZnSb/EG-treated PEDOT:PSS composites

We adopt a new feasible strategy to fabricate hybrid inorganic-organic composites by soaking ZnSb in EG-treated PEDOT:PSS solution. The pristine ZnSb and the hybrid ZnSb/EG-treated PEDOT:PSS composites are characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoemission spectroscopy (XPS), field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM), Hall measurements, electronic transport and thermal transport. The compositing effects of this hybrid material system include a decrease in lattice constants, an increase in bulk density, and a decrease in porosity with increasing soaking days. As a result, the hybrid ZnSb/EG-treated PEDOT:PSS composite with a soaking time of 30 days has a higher power factor and lower thermal conductivity than that of the pristine ZnSb. This results in an improvement in the magnitude of zT with zT = 0.71 at 525 K.