Interface-Located Photothermoelectric Effect of Organic Thermoelectric Materials in Enabling NIR Detection

Organic photothermoelectric (PTE) materials are promising candidates for various photodetection applications. Herein, we report on poly­[Cu_x(Cu-ett)]:PVDF, which is an excellent polymeric thermoelectric composite, possesses unprecedented PTE properties. The NIR light irradiation on the poly­[Cu_x(Cu-ett)]:PVDF film could induce obvious enhancement in Seebeck coefficient from 52 ± 1.5 to 79 ± 5.0 μV/K. By taking advantage of prominent photothermoelectric effect of poly­[Cu_x(Cu-ett)]:PVDF, an unprecedented voltage of 12 mV was obtained. This excellent performance enables its promising applications in electricity generation from solar energy and NIR detection to a wide range of light intensities ranging from 1.7 mW/cm² to 17 W/cm².