Thermoelectric power factor of cementitious composites significantly reinforced with Boron /Nitrogen co-doped reduced graphene oxide

The enhancement of thermoelectric properties in thermoelectric cementitious composites (TECC) is contingent upon the optimization of Seebeck coefficients and power factors. While it is feasible to enhance the thermoelectric properties of TECC by increasing the amount of carbon materials, the agglomeration caused by excessive 2D nanofillers can also impair the comprehensive performance of TECC. Consequently, it is a challenging task to achieve the improvement and optimization of the thermoelectric properties of the carbon materials. In this work, we propose Boron (B)/Nitrogen (N)/Boron and Nitrogen (BN) co-doped Reduced graphene oxide (RGO) as a means of improving the thermoelectric characteristics of cementitious composites . This approach facilitated the opening of the band gap in RGO, thereby increasing the Seebeck coefficient. The thermoelectric properties of RGO, B-RGO, N-RGO, and BN-RGO cementitious composites were evaluated. The resulting improvement in thermoelectric properties was notable when compared to conventional RGO thermoelectric cement-based materials. The most optimal comprehensive performance was observed when BN-RGO was added at a concentration of 5 wt%, exhibiting a Seebeck coefficient of 60.97 μV/K and an optimal power factor of 0.321 μW m −1 K −2 for TECC at a temperature of 70 °C. The thermoelectric properties of RGO were found to be enhanced when diatomic doping was employed in comparison to monoatomic doping. This heteroatom doping method opens up a new way for the application of low content RGO in TECC.