Investigating the impact of nanoparticle size and formation on the thermoelectric transport in polymer-nanoparticle composites

In solution-processed composite materials such as conducting polymers and nanoparticles, barrier-free thermodynamic phase separation can lead to the formation of interpenetrating continuous networks of components that exhibits a large chemically accessible interfacial area. Although theoretical and experimental results of some conducting polymer-nanoparticle composites have identified the importance of the properties of the interface, models of charge transport in these materials generally use an effective-medium that neglects interfacial effects. We are improving these approximations by using a model PEDOT:PSS and Au nanoparticle composite to investigate the impact of nanoparticle size and incorporation on its macroscopic thermoelectric transport.