Formulation and optimization of copper selenide/PANI hybrid screen printing ink for enhancing the power factor of flexible thermoelectric generator: A synergetic approach.

The stunning thermoelectric behavior of inorganic/organic hybrids and the lack of information on screen-printed flexible thermoelectric generators based on Cu 3 Se 2 and Polyaniline for low-temperature applications have motivated this work. The synergic influence of various acid dopants, concentration, and annealing temperature of polyaniline on the power density of Cu 3 Se 2 /PANI ink-based flexible thermoelectric generator is explored. The presence of 1.5 wt% of H 2 SO 4 -PANI, annealed at 60 °C, decreased the bandgap and electrical resistance of Cu 3 Se 2 by 11.96 % and 29.4 %, respectively. As a result, an increase of 46.06 % in the Seebeck coefficient and 242 % in the power output is achieved, which is many folds higher than the few reported works using novel materials. In addition, the Cu 3 Se 2 /H 2 SO 4 -PANI ink-based flexible thermoelectric generator with eight legs exhibited a maximum power output, power density, and power factor of 25.69 nW, 23.79 mW/m2, and 0.77 nW/m2K2 at ΔT = 100 °C, respectively under external load. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]