One-Minute Joule Annealing Enhances the Thermoelectric Properties of Carbon Nanotube Yarns via the Formation of Graphene at the Interface

Interfaces in nanocarbon materials are highly important, as they determine the properties of carbon-based devices. In terms of carrier and thermal transport properties, the interfacial features are often more important than the intrinsic characteristics. Herein, we describe how 1 min Joule annealing of carbon nanotube (CNT) yarns can convert the interfacial amorphous carbon into graphene fragments. After 1 min Joule annealing, we have obtained multiwalled CNT yarns with extremely high Seebeck coefficients (±100 μV/K) and high thermoelectric power factor (400 and 1000 μW/mK²) at room temperature, both with or without polyethylenimine doping. Theoretical simulations and experimental measurements helped to determine the optimal annealing conditions in terms of a rapid transformation of the interfacial amorphous carbon between the bundled CNTs in the yarn into graphene fragments at ∼2000 K. The present approach represents significant progress in energy materials science, as it provides a guiding principle for the design of interfaces in nanocarbon materials with potential applications in energy-harvesting systems.