Towards polymer-based organic thermoelectric generators

Abstract

In response to the thread of environmental and ecological degradation along with projected fossil fuel depletion the active search for efficient renewable energy conversion technologies has been attempted in various research areas including the field of thermoelectrics. Despite the availability of considerable amounts of waste and natural heat stored in warm fluids (<250 °C) a lack of environmentally friendly materials with high natural abundance, low manufacturing cost and high thermoelectric efficiency impedes the widespread use of thermoelectric generators for energy harvesting on a large scale. In this perspective, we examine the possibility of using organic conducting polymers in thermoelectric applications. We provide an overview of the background and the key concepts of organic thermoelectrics and illustrate some of the first prototypes of polymer-based organic thermoelectric generators.