From Photothermal Mechanism to Energy Harvesting: Carbonized Polymer Dots Nanocomposite Photothermal Plastics for Photothermal-electric Conversion

Abstract

Solar-driven photothermal-electric generators (PT-EGs) convert sunlight into heat and subsequently into electricity through Seebeck effect, holding great promise for sustainable energy conversion and utilization. However, their development is constrained by the limited availability of photothermal materials that simultaneously provide high photothermal conversion efficiency, robust stability, and compatibility with polymer matrices suitable for PT-EG fabrication. Carbonized polymer dots (CPDs) are attractive candidates because of their unique structural advantages and tunable optical properties, yet their rational integration into functional nanocomposites remains unexplored. Here, CPDs with a photothermal conversion efficiency of 68.8% were prepared by a solvothermal method. Comparative structural and spectroscopic analyses identified extended heteroatom-containing conjugated domains and predominantly nonradiative excited-state relaxation as key features associated with their photothermal performance. Polydicyclopentadiene(pDCPD) was then selected as the polymer matrix, and an in situ photothermally activated ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP) strategy was developed, in which surface-modified CPDs were incorporated into the pDCPD network. The resulting nanocomposite combined the photothermal response of CPDs with the low density, low cost, and environmental durability of pDCPD. Coupling this photothermal plastic with a thermoelectric module enabled stable light-driven electrical output.

Keywords

Carbonized polymer dot / Photothermal conversion / Nanocomposite photothermal plastic

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