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. 2023 Jan 11;14(1):181.
doi: 10.3390/mi14010181.

Influence of Polyvinylpyrrolidone on Thermoelectric Properties of Melt-Mixed Polymer/Carbon Nanotube Composites

Affiliations

Influence of Polyvinylpyrrolidone on Thermoelectric Properties of Melt-Mixed Polymer/Carbon Nanotube Composites

Beate Krause et al. Micromachines (Basel). .

Abstract

For thermoelectric applications, both p- and n-type semi-conductive materials are combined. In melt-mixed composites based on thermoplastic polymers and carbon nanotubes, usually the p-type with a positive Seebeck coefficient (S) is present. One way to produce composites with a negative Seebeck coefficient is to add further additives. In the present study, for the first time, the combination of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) with polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) in melt-mixed composites is investigated. Polycarbonate (PC), poly(butylene terephthalate) (PBT), and poly(ether ether ketone) (PEEK) filled with SWCNTs and PVP were melt-mixed in small scales and thermoelectric properties of compression moulded plates were studied. It could be shown that a switch in the S-value from positive to negative values was only possible for PC composites. The addition of 5 wt% PVP shifted the S-value from 37.8 µV/K to -31.5 µV/K (2 wt% SWCNT). For PBT as a matrix, a decrease in the Seebeck coefficient from 59.4 µV/K to 8.0 µV/K (8 wt% PVP, 2 wt% SWCNT) could be found. In PEEK-based composites, the S-value increased slightly with the PVP content from 48.0 µV/K up to 54.3 µV/K (3 wt% PVP, 1 wt% SWCNT). In addition, the long-term stability of the composites was studied. Unfortunately, the achieved properties were not stable over a storage time of 6 or 18 months. Thus, in summary, PVP is not suitable for producing long-term stable, melt-mixed n-type SWCNT composites.

Keywords: electron doping; nanotubes; polymer composites; thermoelectric.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest. The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript; or in the decision to publish the results.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Structure of poly(vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Thermal degradation behavior of PVP.
Figure 3
Figure 3
TE properties of PC composites with SWCNT Tuball: SWNT content of 0.75 and 1 wt% and PVP in the ratio 1:2 (a), PC/2 wt% SWCNT Tuball composites with different contents of PVP, first measurements (b), and measurements repeated after 18-month storage under ambient conditions (c).
Figure 4
Figure 4
SEM image of PC composites with 2 wt% SWCNT (a) and PC with 2 wt% SWCNT + 5 wt% PVP (b,c).
Figure 5
Figure 5
TE properties of PBT composites with 2 wt% SWCNT Tuball and different contents of PVP, first measurements (a), and measurement repeated after 6 months (b).
Figure 6
Figure 6
SEM image of PBT composites with 2 wt% SWCNT (a) [18] and PBT with 2 wt% SWCNT + 10 wt% PVP (b,c).
Figure 7
Figure 7
TE properties of PEEK composites with 1 wt% SWCNT Tuball and different contents of PVP, first measurements (a), and measurement repeated after 17 months (b).
Figure 8
Figure 8
SEM image of PEEK composites with 1 wt% SWCNT (a) and PEEK with 1 wt% SWCNT + 3 wt% PVP (b,c).

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