Thermoelectric performance of basalt fiber with nanocomposite sizing

Thermoelectric fiber is widely used in the fabrication of power generator that could convert waste heat into useful electricity. It is assumed that the excellent thermoelectric performance of the material is highly dependent on thermal stability and conductivity at the same time. In this study, conductive basalt fibers (BFs) were developed by dip-coating with functional sizing consisting of epoxy emulsion and carbon nanotubes (CNT)/reduced graphene oxide (RGO). Various techniques were employed to characterize the obtained materials. It was found that both CNT/BF and RGO/BF exhibited remarkable thermoelectric performance. The tensile strength of single fibers also increased due to the introduction of carbon materials. Subsequently, conductive BFs were incorporated into the epoxy substrate to fabricate BF-reinforced polymers (BFRPs). The increased interfacial strength of BFRPs suggested the beneficial effect of nanocomposite coating, which was closely associated with their microstructure. The results verified the novel concept for the construction of fiber-based thermoelectric generator with high performance.