Exploring Thermoelectric Materials from High Mobility Organic Semiconductors
Fengjiao Zhang, Chong‐an Di
Abstract
Organic thermoelectric (OTE) materials have attracted intensive attention because of their promising applications in flexible electricity generators and ultrathin solid cooling elements. The well-developed high mobility organic semiconductors (OSCs) are considered to be excellent candidates for high performance OTE materials. Although a variety of OSCs have been explored as OTE materials, their intrinsic potential has not been revealed owing to limited understanding of the structure–property relationship, an unsatisfied doping method, etc. In this perspective, we briefly review the requirements of OTE conversion and discuss the major strategies to develop high performance OTE materials from OSC candidates. We then introduce some achievements made with p- and n-type OSCs to provide a clear map of the development status. Finally, we detail our viewpoint of the opportunities and challenges in this cutting-edge field. We highlight that OSC-based TE study is an emerging topic in organic electronics and that there is a long way to go to get the true benefits of OTE materials.