Nanojunctions Contributing to High Performance Thermoelectric ZnO-Based Inorganic–Organic Hybrids

Organic–inorganic nanojunctions can result in a selective scattering of charge carrier depending on their energy, which leads to a simultaneous increase in the Seebeck coefficient S and the power factor. In this work, the nanojunction is successfully employed at the organic–inorganic semiconductor interface of polyparaphenylene (PPP) and Zn_1?xAg_xO nanoparticles through the sol-gel method. The presence of nanoinclusions PPP in Zn_0.9Ag_0.1O matrix is found to be effective in improving the figure of merit (ZT) by the dual effects of an increase in the power factor consistent with the heterojunction effect and a reduction in thermal conductivity. Zn_0.9Ag_0.1O/0.1 wt% PPP exhibits a maximum figure of merit, i.e., ZT = 0.22.