Measurement System to Determine the Seebeck Coefficient and Electrical Conductivity of Thin Films

Abstract

Thermoelectric (TE) materials are promising for energy-generating devices, and their design depends on a fast, precise determination of their Seebeck coefficient and electrical conductivity. Herein, a low-cost setup was developed to determine the Seebeck coefficient and electrical conductivity of thin films, allowing the calculation of the power factor (PF) (PF = S2σ) . The system was validated by measuring the Seebeck coefficient and electrical conductivity of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS), a widely used material in organic electronics and TE generators. The results demonstrate the high resolution of our system, with obtained values of 0.1 µV/K for Seebeck coefficient, 0.1 S/cm for electrical conductivity, and 0.1 µW/K2 for PF. A detailed description of the fabrication of the measurement setup is provided, with the aim of making thermoelectricity accessible to any research laboratory, even in places with limited budgets.