Nanoscale Organic Thermoelectric Materials: Measurement, Theoretical Models, and Optimization Strategies

The demands for waste heat energy recovery from industrial production, solar energy, and electronic devices have resulted in increasing attention being focused on thermoelectric materials. Over the past two decades, significant progress is achieved in inorganic thermoelectric materials. In addition, with the proliferation of wireless mobile devices, economical, efficient, lightweight, and bio-friendly organic thermoelectric (OTE) materials have gradually become promising candidates for thermoelectric devices used in room-temperature environments. With the development of experimental measurement techniques, the manufacturing for nanoscale thermoelectric devices has become possible. A large number of studies have demonstrated the excellent performance of nanoscale thermoelectric devices, and further improvement of their thermoelectric conversion efficiency is expected to have a significant impact on global energy consumption. Here, the development of experimental measurement methods, theoretical models, and performance modulation for nanoscale OTE materials are summarized. Suggestions and prospects for the future development of these devices are also provided.