Polymer‐based chalcogenide composites are gaining attention for thermal energy storage thermoelectric (TE) applications due to their high Seebeck coefficient (S) and electrical conductivity (s), compared to low thermal conductivity of polymers without electrical optimization. This combination can enhance power factor and ZT while suppressing drawbacks. The energy‐filtering effect of polymer/chalcogenide interfaces may also improve TE performance, further enhancing the potential for improved TE applications. In this work, Poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) was functionalized with selenium (Se), and its structural and thermoelectric (TE) properties were studied. The variations of s and S, with higher percent of Se content, displays a simultaneous rise in both s and S values, which is noteworthy. The probable reason behind this increment of both s and S values is due to the improvement in charge transport in the composites due to a percolating network formed between the Se nanoparticles and PEDOT along with the carrier energy filtering interaction between PEDOT and Se. The highest room temperature ZT value obtained is 0.027 for 82 % of Se content in PEDOT, which is comparable with bulk nanostructured organic‐inorganic hybrid composite materials. This work presents an efficient technique for enhancing the TE properties of polymers through inorganic functionalization.

中文翻译：

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硒功能化 PEDOT 热电性能的改善

与未经电优化的聚合物的低导热率相比，基于聚合物的硫属化物复合材料由于其较高的塞贝克系数 (S) 和电导率 (s) 在热能存储热电 (TE) 应用中受到关注。这种组合可以提高功率因数和 ZT，同时抑制缺点。聚合物/硫族化物界面的能量过滤效应也可以改善 TE 性能，进一步增强改进 TE 应用的潜力。在这项工作中，聚（3,4-乙烯二氧噻吩）（PEDOT）被硒（Se）功能化，并研究了其结构和热电（TE）性能。 s和S的变化，随着Se含量的增加，s和S值同时上升，这是值得注意的。 s 和 S 值增加的可能原因是由于 Se 纳米颗粒和 PEDOT 之间形成的渗透网络以及 PEDOT 和 Se 之间的载流子能量过滤相互作用，复合材料中电荷传输的改善。当 PEDOT 中 Se 含量为 82% 时，获得的最高室温 ZT 值为 0.027，与块体纳米结构有机无机杂化复合材料相当。这项工作提出了一种通过无机官能化增强聚合物 TE 性能的有效技术。