How the morphology of a macroscopic assembly of nanoobjects affects its properties is a long-standing question in nanomaterials science and engineering. Here, we examine how the thermoelectric properties of a flexible thin film of carbon nanotubes depend on macroscopic nanotube alignment. Specifically, we have investigated the anisotropy of the Seebeck coefficient of aligned and gated single-wall carbon nanotube thin films. We varied the Fermi level in a wide range, covering both the p-type and n-type regimes, using electrolyte gating. While we found the electrical conductivity along the nanotube alignment direction to be several times larger than that in the perpendicular direction, the Seebeck coefficient was found to be fully isotropic, irrespective of the Fermi level position. We provide an explanation for this striking difference in anisotropy between the conductivity and the Seebeck coefficient using Mott's theory of hopping conduction. Our experimental evidence for an isotropic Seebeck coefficient in an anisotropic nanotube assembly suggests a route toward controlling the thermoelectric performance of carbon nanotube thin films through morphology control.
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10 December 2018
Research Article|
December 13 2018
Isotropic Seebeck coefficient of aligned single-wall carbon nanotube films
Kengo Fukuhara;
Kengo Fukuhara
1
Department of Physics, Tokyo Metropolitan University
, Tokyo 192-0397, Japan
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Yota Ichinose;
Yota Ichinose
1
Department of Physics, Tokyo Metropolitan University
, Tokyo 192-0397, Japan
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Hiroyuki Nishidome;
Hiroyuki Nishidome
1
Department of Physics, Tokyo Metropolitan University
, Tokyo 192-0397, Japan
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Yohei Yomogida;
Yohei Yomogida
1
Department of Physics, Tokyo Metropolitan University
, Tokyo 192-0397, Japan
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Fumiya Katsutani;
Fumiya Katsutani
2
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Rice University
, Houston, Texas 77005, USA
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Natsumi Komatsu;
Natsumi Komatsu
2
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Rice University
, Houston, Texas 77005, USA
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Weilu Gao;
Weilu Gao
2
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Rice University
, Houston, Texas 77005, USA
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Junichiro Kono
;
Junichiro Kono
2
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Rice University
, Houston, Texas 77005, USA
3
Department of Physics and Astronomy, Rice University
, Houston, Texas 77005, USA
4
Department of Materials Science and NanoEngineering, Rice University
, Houston, Texas 77005, USA
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Kazuhiro Yanagi
Kazuhiro Yanagi
a)
1
Department of Physics, Tokyo Metropolitan University
, Tokyo 192-0397, Japan
a)Author to whom correspondence should be addressed: yanagi-kazuhiro@tmu.ac.jp.
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a)Author to whom correspondence should be addressed: yanagi-kazuhiro@tmu.ac.jp.
Appl. Phys. Lett. 113, 243105 (2018)
Article history
Received:
October 11 2018
Accepted:
November 27 2018
Citation
Kengo Fukuhara, Yota Ichinose, Hiroyuki Nishidome, Yohei Yomogida, Fumiya Katsutani, Natsumi Komatsu, Weilu Gao, Junichiro Kono, Kazuhiro Yanagi; Isotropic Seebeck coefficient of aligned single-wall carbon nanotube films. Appl. Phys. Lett. 10 December 2018; 113 (24): 243105. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.5066021
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