Thermopower of Molecular Junction in Harsh Thermal Environments

Sohyun Park, Seohyun Kang, Hyo Jae Yoon

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    27 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    Molecular junctions can be miniaturized devices for heat-to-electricity conversion application, yet these operate only in mild thermal environments (less than 323 K) because thiol, the most widely used anchor moiety for chemisorption of active molecules onto surface of electrode, easily undergoes thermal degradation. N-Heterocyclic carbene (NHC) can be an alternative to traditional thiol anchor for producing ultrastable thermoelectric molecular junctions. Our experiments showed that the NHC-based molecular junctions withstood remarkably high temperatures up to 573 K, exhibiting consistent Seebeck effect and thermovoltage up to approximately |1900 μV|. Our work advances our understanding of molecule-electrode contact in the Seebeck effect, providing a roadmap for constructing robust and efficient organic thermoelectric devices.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)3953-3960
    Number of pages8
    JournalNano Letters
    Volume22
    Issue number10
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2022 May 25

    Bibliographical note

    Funding Information:
    This research was supported by the NRF of Korea (Grants NRF-2019R1A2C2011003, NRF-2021M3F3A2A03017999, and NRF-2019R1A6A1A11044070). S.P. acknowledges the support of the POSCO TJ Park Doctoral Fellowship and the Korea University Graduate School Junior Fellowship.

    Publisher Copyright:
    © 2022 American Chemical Society. All rights reserved.

    Keywords

    • harsh thermal environments
    • molecular junction
    • Seebeck effect
    • self-assembled monolayer (SAM)
    • temperature
    • thermoelectrics

    ASJC Scopus subject areas

    • Bioengineering
    • General Chemistry
    • General Materials Science
    • Condensed Matter Physics
    • Mechanical Engineering

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