Abstract
We investigated the important properties for practical use of (±)-10-camphorsulfonic acid (CSA) doped polyaniline (PANI) films on polyimide substrate as thermoelectric materials. We tested the flexibility and the thermal stability of electrical conductivity and Seebeck coefficient for the CSA-PANI films. The electrical conductivity and the Seebeck coefficient for the CSA-PANI films were almost unchanged after bending of 10,000 times. In addition, the CSA-PANI films were not exfoliated from the substrate after the bending test. The thermal stability of electrical conductivity and Seebeck coefficient for a CSA-PANI film on polyimide substrate was tested by the heat cycles of 30 times in the temperature range of 330-380 K. After the heat cycle test, the Seebeck coefficient slightly increased (approximately 10%) while the electrical conductivity slightly decreased (approximately 5%). The CSA-PANI film on polyimide substrate was found to be mechanically tough, flexible and possess relatively good thermal stability of electrical conductivity and Seebeck coefficient. These results suggest that if the thermoelectric properties are improved, CSA-PANI films are promising for use of the flexible organic thermoelectric devices.
