Organic Nanostructured Material for Thermoelectric Sensors of Infrared Radiations

Abstract

Thermoelectric sensors of infrared radiation are widely used in the detectors of IR radiations, in the systems of night vision, in the thermometers for contactless measurement of temperature including the human body one, in new thermal imaging systems. An important parameter that determines the possibility of a material to be used as sensitive element in the thermoelectric sensors is the thermoelectric power factor. Earlier we have shown that in the quasi-one-dimensional organic nanostructured crystals of tetrathiotetracene-iodide it is expected to obtain high values of the thermoelectric power factor. But this prediction was made on the base of a one dimensional crystal model. Now the power factor is modeled in a more complete physical model which takes into account the kinetic interaction between the molecular chains. It is obtained that this interaction can be neglected in not perfect crystals, but is important in very pure ones. The optimal values of the thermoelectric power factor are determined. The recommendations in order to obtain such values are elaborated.