Tuning of the Thermoelectric Properties of One-Dimensional Material Networks by Electric Double Layer Techniques Using Ionic Liquids

• Published in: Nano letters 2014-11, Vol.14 (11), p.6437-6442
• Main Authors: Yanagi, Kazuhiro, Kanda, Shouhei, Oshima, Yuki, Kitamura, Yoshimasa, Kawai, Hideki, Yamamoto, Takahiro, Takenobu, Taishi, Nakai, Yusuke, Maniwa, Yutaka
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Condensed matter: electronic structure, electrical, magnetic, and optical properties; Cross-disciplinary physics: materials science; rheology; Electronic structure and electrical properties of surfaces, interfaces, thin films and low-dimensional structures; Electronic structure of nanoscale materials : clusters, nanoparticles, nanotubes, and nanocrystals; Electronics; Exact sciences and technology; Materials science; Molecular electronics, nanoelectronics; Nanocrystalline materials; Nanoscale materials and structures: fabrication and characterization; Nanotubes; Physics; Semiconductor electronics. Microelectronics. Optoelectronics. Solid state devices
• ISSN: 1530-6984; 1530-6992
• DOI: 10.1021/nl502982f

We report across-bandgap p-type and n-type control over the Seebeck coefficients of semiconducting single-wall carbon nanotube networks through an electric double layer transistor setup using an ionic liquid as the electrolyte. All-around gating characteristics by electric double layer formation upon the surface of the nanotubes enabled the tuning of the Seebeck coefficient of the nanotube networks by the shift in gate voltage, which opened the path to Fermi-level-controlled three-dimensional thermoelectric devices composed of one-dimensional nanomaterials.