Enhanced thermo cell properties from N-doped carbon nanotube-Pd composite electrode

N-doped Carbon nanotube (NCNT)-Pd nanocomposites were fabricated by two convenient methods to make thermo-cell (TEC) electrodes. NCNTs were first synthesized on the alloy substrate (AS) using electrophoretic deposition technique, then Pd nanoparticles were coated on the surface of NCNT by magnetron sputtering. The TEC electrodes were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The TEC performances of the NCNT-Pd nanocomposite electrode were enhanced significantly compared to those of the NCNT electrode with the current density of 58.4 A·m−2 and the power density of 1.08 W·m−2, due to better catalytic activity and more activation sites. Meanwhile, the relative conversion efficiency of 1.04% was reached. This investigation suggests that the construction of the NCNT-Pd nanocomposite electrode could effectively improve the TEC performances of NCNT electrodes, very promising for the heat energy harvesting applications.