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Modulating doping levels and nanofillers blending has facilitated optimization of electrical properties in polymeric nanocomposite films for thermoelectric applications. Herein we report, free-standing flexible films of ZnSb nanofillers contained PANI:CSA polymer nanocomposites, with varying ZnSb ratios, to realize carrier localization induced enhancement in power factor (≈ 10 times) and thermopower (≈ 6 times) within the protonated PANI:CSA. Structural, morphological, and chemical analyses revealed that ZnSb intercalation influences doping levels, expansion of interlayer spacing, structural disorder, and backbone conformation leading to transient localization amidst enhanced interchain hopping probability in the synthesized polymeric nanocomposites for realizing an enhanced thermopower ≈ 50 μV/K with improved power factor ≈ 10 μW/m·K2. The tunable thermopower and localization–delocalization transitions is correlated with complex heterogeneous PANI structure, interchain interactions, and charge transport mechanisms, including carrier tunneling/hopping. These findings highlight the prospects of charge localization in improving the low and smeared Seebeck response in conducting polymers like PANI.

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• Creative Commons BY-NC-ND Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 International
  

Keyword: thermoelectric

Date published: 2025-07-15

Publisher: Elsevier BV

Journal:

• Materials Today Physics (ISSN: 25425293) vol. 57 101794

Funding:

• University Fellowship Creation Project for Creating Scientific and Technological Innovation JPMJFS 2106
• Japan Science and Technology Agency
• JST-Mirai Program JPMJMI19A1

Manuscript type: Author's version (Accepted manuscript)

MDR DOI: https://doi.org/10.48505/nims.5879

First published URL: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mtphys.2025.101794

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Updated at: 2025-11-10 16:30:14 +0900

Published on MDR: 2025-11-10 16:25:02 +0900