Flexible freestanding PANI/MoS2/CNTs ternary films with synergistically enhanced thermoelectric performance

Flexible freestanding PANI/MoS 2 /CNTs (PMC) composite films were fabricated using a simple drop-casting method. The introduction of metallic 1T-MoS 2 nanosheets significantly increased the Seebeck coefficient ( S ) of the polyaniline (PANI) matrix through its intrinsic high S and the interfacial energy-filtering effect. The incorporation of highly conductive carbon nanotubes (CNTs) constructed an efficient percolated network, which dramatically enhanced carrier mobility and electrical conductivity ( σ ). The optimized PMC2.5 film achieved a peak power factor ( PF ) of 45.12 μW m −1  K −2 at 378 K and a low thermal conductivity ( κ ) of 0.226 W m −1  K −1 at 298 K, leading to a thermoelectric figure of merit ( ZT ) of 0.036. The film exhibited excellent flexibility, retaining over 91% of its initial σ and 98% of its S after 1000 bending cycles. A flexible thermoelectric generator assembled from these films generated stable voltage output under a small temperature gradient, demonstrating the potential of this ternary composite system for wearable energy harvesting applications.