Augmented Thermoelectric in‐Plane Power Factor of 0.8 mW M∙K ⁻² in Solution‐Processed 2D MoS ₂ at Room‐Temperature by Current Confinement

In the past decade, 2D transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) have gained significant attention as energy materials because of their unique structure and promising properties. Specifically, TMDC-based thermoelectric (TE) power generation has emerged as a sustainable solution to produce electricity using waste heat. However, the dimensional requirement of TMDC thin films for device utilization and their low electrical conductivity have constrained their in-plane TE properties. Here, the TE properties, including the Seebeck coefficient and power factor of solution-processed MoS₂ films, which are chemically exfoliated and processed by spin-coating are presented, and report an innovative approach to increase the in-plane TE power factor by simple Pt-coating of the exfoliated MoS₂ films. These films exhibit a high TE power factor of ≈810 µW m·K² at 300 K - an increase of more than 9200% compared with that of a restacked MoS₂ thin film with the same thickness. Our study indicates that the free carriers in the top-Pt layer carry and transfer the thermally-induced heat current accumulated at the interface between the Pt and MoS₂ layers under a temperature gradient applied along the samples. This distinctive approach to enhancing the TE power factor provides an effective strategy for high-performance TMDC-based TE energy generating devices.