Synergistically Improved Thermoelectric Energy Harvesting of Edge-Oxidized-Graphene-Bridged N-Type Bismuth Telluride Thick Films

Power generation through the thermoelectric (TE) effect in small-sized devices requires a submillimeter-thick film that is beneficial to effectively maintain ΔT compared with a micron-scale thin film. However, most TE thick films, which are fabricated using printing technologies, suffer from low electrical conductivity due to the porous structures formed after sintering of the organic binder-mixed TE ink. In this study, we report an n-type TE thick film fabricated through bar-coating of the edge-oxidized-graphene (EOG)-dispersed Bi2.0Te2.7Se0.3 (BTS) paste with copper dopants. We have found that EOG provides the conducting pathway for carriers through electrical bridging between the separated BTS grains in porous TE thick films. The simultaneous enhancement in electrical conductivity and the Seebeck coefficient of the EOG-bridged TE film result in a maximum power factor of 1.54 mW·m–1·K–2 with the addition of 0.01 wt % EOG. Furthermore, the single element made of an n-type EOG-bridged BTS exhibits a superior output power of 1.65 μW at ΔT = 80 K. These values are 5 times higher than those of bare BTS films. Our results clearly indicate that the utilization of EOG with a metal dopant exerts a synergistic effect for enhancing the electrical output performance of n-type TE thick films for thermal energy harvesters.