Exploring Temperature-Dependent Electrical Conductivity, Seebeck Coefficient, and Figure of Merit of a novel Biocompatible Polypyrrole/ Agaricus bisporus (Edible Mushroom)/Zinc Oxide Composites for Thermal electric applications

Abstract The paper reports the analysis of the morphology, crystalline structure, and thermoelectric properties of a PolyPyrrole (PPy)/Agaricus bisporus (AB)/Zinc Oxide (ZnO) composite material intended for thermoelectric applications. Pure PPy and PPy/AB/ZnO composites with 10%, 20%, and 30% AB/ZnO were synthesized by in situ chemical oxidation method. The morphological structure and crystal structure are studied using Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and X-ray Diffraction spectroscopy (XRD) respectively. The images of SEM reveal that PPy exhibits a spherical continuous chain structure, ZnO with granular morphology, and the PPy/AB/ZnO composites display a blend of porous and granular structures. XRD analysis, performed over the 10°-80° range, indicates that pure PPy is amorphous, while the PPy/AB/ZnO composites are semi-crystalline. ZnO is confirmed to have a wurtzite hexagonal structure. Thermoelectric measurements conducted from room temperature to 100°C show that the Seebeck coefficient and power factor are highest for the PPy-10AB/ZnO composite, with values of approximately 61 μV/K and 573 μV/m·K², respectively. Although its electrical conductivity is lower compared to other composites, the study demonstrates that the PPy/AB/ZnO composites exhibit properties comparable to those of existing lead-based thermoelectric materials. Consequently, these composites are environmentally friendly and show promise as alternatives in thermoelectric applications. Keywords: Polypyrrole, Agaricus biporus, thermoelectric effect, Seebeck effect