Quantitative analyses of enhanced thermoelectric properties of modulation-doped PEDOT:PSS/undoped Si (001) nanoscale heterostructures.

Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) has high electrical conductivity (∼10 S cm) but it exhibits a low Seebeck coefficient (<15 μV K), resulting in a low power factor. Mixing PEDOT:PSS with nanostructured semiconductors can enhance the Seebeck coefficient and achieve an improved thermoelectric power factor. However, underlying mechanisms for those composite thermoelectric systems are scarcely understood so far.