Transport properties of 3D printed polymer nanocomposites for potential thermoelectric applications

Abstract

We report the transport and thermoelectric properties of three-dimensional printed samples, which are composed by polymer nanocomposites. For the purposes of the current study, the well-known fused deposition modeling three-dimensional printing method was employed. Commercially available PLA-based nanocomposite filaments, such as PLA–graphite and PLA–graphene, are used to produce mm-scale samples. Electrical conductivity and Seebeck coefficient were investigated, as a function of temperature. PLA–graphene samples exhibit effective thermoelectric performance, comparable to the other state-of-the art polymer nanocomposites, indicating that commercial polymer nanocomposites can be promising candidates for 3D printed thermoelectric devices.