Thermoelectrical properties of intercalated recycled carbon fibre composite

The electrical conductivity and Seebeck coefficient of intercalated recycled carbon fibre sheets derived from polyacrylonitrile (PAN) based precursor are investigated. The dopants used in this case are sulphuric and nitric acid. The Seebeck coefficient is found to have increased up to 1.74 times from its initial values in the N-direction through doping, while the electrical conductivity is successfully increased by a factor of 1. Seebeck coefficient of the recycled carbon fibre sheet is found not to be affected by the recycling process. A scanning electron microscope (SEM) technique is conducted to further investigate the surface topography of the recycled fibres while the fibre's structural data were deduced using an X-ray diffraction (XRD) method. The temperature effects on the recycled carbon fibre sheets electrical conductivity are also explored. The overall result points to the fact that the intercalated recycled carbon fibres possess good characteristics as a novel material for thermoelectric applications. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.