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

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 th...

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Bibliographic Details
Authors: Dalkiranis, Gustavo G., Bocchi, João H. C., Torres, Bruno Bassi Millan, Lopeandía, Aitor, Oliveira Jr., Osvaldo N., Faria, Gregório C.
Format: article
Status:Published version
Publication Date:2025
Country:España
Institution:Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)
Repository:DIGITAL.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSIC
OAI Identifier:oai:digital.csic.es:10261/389617
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/10261/389617
https://api.elsevier.com/content/abstract/scopus_id/105002494259
Access Level:Open access
Keyword:Electrical conductivity
Instrumentation
Measurement system
Power factor (PF)
Seebeck coefficient
Thermoelectricity
Description
Summary: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.