Highly Ductile N-Type Thermoelectric MOF-Based Foams.

Abstract

Flexible thermoelectric materials have received growing attention for the development of flexible power sources and wearable electronics. Metal-organic framework (MOF) materials have driven the development of flexible thermoelectrics owing to their tailored electrical and thermal properties. However, the scarcity of effective n-type flexible thermoelectrics has hindered their widespread applications in traditional π-shaped thermoelectric device designs. We report a flexible and ductile n-type thermoelectric Nickel-Copper-MOF@Polyaniline/Nickel foam (NCM@PANI/NF) through an in situ synthesis and surface grafting. This foam exhibits a dominant Seebeck coefficient of -53.1 μV·K^-1, a high electrical conductivity of 872.39 S·m^-1, and a low thermal conductivity of 0.126 W·m^-1·K^-1, outperforming previously reported n-type thermoelectric MOF-based materials in terms of its comprehensive properties. Owing to its excellent shape-controlled capability, the ductile NCM@PANI/NF array device is capable of seamlessly adapting to heat sources of diverse shapes, enabling efficient thermal energy harvesting. This work demonstrates a promising approach for optimizing the performance and structural design of MOF-based materials in flexible thermoelectric power generation.