With the rapid growth of the global population an‎d the increasing deman‎d for energy, improving the efficiency of energy systems an‎d mitigating their environmental impacts have become critical challenges of the modern era. In this context, thermoelectric materials an‎d modules have attracted significant attention as an emerging strategy, owing to their ability to directly convert a temperature gradient into electrical energy an‎d thereby recover wasted thermal energy. The objective of this study was to design, fabricate, an‎d eva‎luate the thermoelectric properties of polyacrylonitrile (PAN) nanofiber mats incorporated with poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) an‎d carbon nanotubes (CNTs) for potential application in smart textiles. In the first step, PAN nanofibrous substrates were produced by electrospinning a polymer solution. Subsequently, dro‎p-casting of PEDOT:PSS at two different concentrations (0.5 an‎d 1 v/v%) an‎d dip-coating of CNTs at concentrations of 3 an‎d 6 wt% with varying deposition cycles were performed. In total, nineteen samples were prepared, an‎d their electrical properties, including electrical conductivity an‎d Seebeck coefficient, were measured. Using the statistical Response Surface Methodology (RSM), the optimal sample was identified, which consisted of 1 v/v% PEDOT:PSS an‎d 6 wt% CNT deposited over three cycles. This optimized sample exhibited a Seebeck coefficient of 19.45 μV K⁻¹ an‎d an electrical conductivity of 804.76 S m⁻¹. Based on the optimized sample, thermoelectric modules with two, four, six, an‎d eight legs were fabricated. The results demonstrated that increasing the number of legs enhanced the thermoelectric performance of the modules. In particular, the eight-leg module achieved a Seebeck coefficient of 121.16 μV K⁻¹. Moreover, the optimized sample showed good stability over a period of 49 days as well as after 1000 bending cycles. These findings indicate that PAN-based nanofibrous mats modified with PEDOT:PSS an‎d CNTs can serve as flexible an‎d durable thermoelectric materials, offering promising potential as energy-harvesting components in smart textile applications.

افسانه ولي پوري

وحيد عبادي

داريوش سمناني , فاطمه حقيقت