Noncovalent Modification of Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes Using Thermally-Cleavable Polythiophenes for Solution-Processed Thermoelectric Films.

Four thermally-cleavable polythiophene derivatives containing carbonate and solubilizing groups were synthesized for non-covalent modification of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs). A well-dispersed polythiophene/SWCNTs composite was obtained by adsorption of the polymer at the SWCNTs surface. The solution-processed composite film exhibited solid-state thermal cleavage of the insulating solubilizing group through decarboxylation, producing an insoluble composite film. The thermally-cleavable composite film was evaluated for potential application as a thermoelectric (TE) material. The electrical conductivity (σ) of the thermally-treated composite film was up to 250 times higher than that of the as-prepared composite film. The increased σ contributed to an increase in the power factor (PF). The ethanol-processed composite film could be applicable for green processing of a TE material using the less-toxic solvent. The substrate-free polythiophene/SWCNTs composite film prepared by simple solvent evaporation yielded a figure-of-merit of 3.1 × 10-2 with a PF of 28.8 μW m-1 K-2 at 25 °C. This solution-processed methodology is beneficial for the development of a flexible TE material.