Structure-property relationship and nascent applications of thermoelectric PEDOT:PSS/carbon composites: A review

Abstract The success of the future concept of green society relies on accelerated progress in reversing human impacts on the ecosystem. Thus, the pursuit of meeting the increasing energy needs of humanity through alternative benign means has stimulated a rapid technological evolution, which requires harnessing the dissipated waste heat. Therefore, this review presents an overview of the thermoelectric (TE) properties and applications of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT):polystyrene sulfonate (PSS)/carbon composites. The carbon allotropes considered herein vary across different length scales. Therefore, this review discusses the TE behavior of the composites of PEDOT:PSS and zero-, one-, two-, and three-dimensional carbon materials. The fabrication techniques for promoting dual electronic and ionic transport in PEDOT and the ion-exchange effect for carrier tuning have also been discussed. In summary, we have discussed the TE applications of PEDOT:PSS/carbon composites and their future perspectives for TE devices.