Hybrid ThermoElectric Composites: Proof-of-concepts for low-T, n-type and flexible thermoelectrics

Thermoelectric (TE) devices working at low temperature (T < 400K) are appealing systems for the recovery of waste heat (estimated round 63%) from a number of common sources. Flexible systems, based on low-cost, light weight and solution processable efficient TE generators point to the use of polymeric and molecular organic semiconductors or hybrids organic-inorganics. Of these, n-type materials remain for the most part unexplored. With the HY-TEC project we intend to develop new hybrid TE materials of the n-type class, either as inorganics@organics, based on semiconducting molecular NDI/PDI films embedding inorganic nanofillers, or as organics@inorganics, where layered perovskites of the halide family will be intercalated using a library of guest organic molecules. The goal is achieving high TE performances by rationally and synergistically combining the low thermal conductivity of organics and the high power-factor of inorganics for flexible TE generators. Aiming at recovering an in-depth understanding of fundamental mechanisms of the new hybrids, thermoelectric, structural, morphological and electronic properties will be investigated by a combination of advanced experimental and computational characterization and unconventional in-operando experiments.