Contemporary advances in organic thermoelectric materials: Fundamentals, properties, optimization strategies, and applications

Thermoelectric material's capacity to directly transform waste heat into useable energy has captured the interest of delving into the complexities of sustainable development. Indeed, organic thermoelectric (OTE) materials are gaining momentum for wearable and portable electronics owing to low density, high flexibility, and eco-friendliness. Herin, this review is designed to boost the interest of researchers in the fundamentals of TE, recent significant progress, and fabrication techniques of polymer-based TE materials. Firstly, recent advancements in synthesizing novel materials and understanding doping methods to enhance conductivity are overviewed. The focus then shifts towards emphasizing the novel and distinctive approach of integrating carbon nanotubes, graphene, and ternary composites with OTEs. Finally, a few applications are demonstrated, the challenges encountered in creating the subsequent origination of polymer-based materials with outstanding TE performance are explored, and further insights are discussed.