One-Minute Joule Annealing Enhances the Thermoelectric Properties of Carbon Nanotube Yarns via the Formation of Graphene at the Interface

Citations Over TimeTop 14% of 2019 papers

Abstract

Interfaces in nanocarbon materials are highly important, as they determine the properties of carbon-based devices. In terms of carrier and thermal transport properties, the interfacial features are often more important than the intrinsic characteristics. Herein, we describe how 1 min Joule annealing of carbon nanotube (CNT) yarns can convert the interfacial amorphous carbon into graphene fragments. After 1 min Joule annealing, we have obtained multiwalled CNT yarns with extremely high Seebeck coefficients (±100 μV/K) and high thermoelectric power factor (400 and 1000 μW/mK2) at room temperature, both with or without polyethylenimine doping. Theoretical simulations and experimental measurements helped to determine the optimal annealing conditions in terms of a rapid transformation of the interfacial amorphous carbon between the bundled CNTs in the yarn into graphene fragments at ∼2000 K. The present approach represents significant progress in energy materials science, as it provides a guiding principle for the design of interfaces in nanocarbon materials with potential applications in energy-harvesting systems.

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