Constructing flexible metal-organic framework/polymer/carbon nanotubes ternary composite films with enhanced thermoelectric properties for heat-to-electricity conversion

Thermoelectric composites have emerged as an exciting research area in recent years, revealing high potential in waste heat utilization and flexible electronics. With the merits of tunable molecular structures, low thermal conductivity and high porosity, metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) have triggered huge interest in terms of thermoelectric energy harvest. Whereas, their thermoelectric applications are substantially limited by the unsatisfactory processability and poor electrical conductivity. In this work, MOF-based ternary composites are constructed using the conducting polymer poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(4-styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) and single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs). The ternary composites present in the form of flexible films that can well meet the need for flexible and durable thermoelectric devices, and they exhibit generally enhanced thermoelectric properties, achieving a maximum power factor value of 27.9 ± 2.5 μW m−1 K−2 at room temperature. The method of constructing ternary composites proposed in this work demonstrate the high potential of MOFs and its composites in thermoelectric applications.