Rubbing effect on surface morphology and thermoelectric properties of TTF-TCNQ thin films

Thin films of tetrathiofulvalene-tetracyanoquinodimethane (TTF-TCNQ), a typical organic material of charge transfer salts, were prepared on glass substrates by evaporation using TTF-TCNQ powder. The rubbing effect on the surface morphology and thermoelectric properties was studied. TTF-TCNQ films exhibited a bush-like disordered growth on the as-received glass substrate, whereas those on the rubbed glass substrate had extremely flat surfaces tiled with small rectangular TTF-TCNQ single crystals. Due to the ordered alignment of TTF-TCNQ tiles, improvement in the electrical conductivity and enhancement of the Seebeck coefficient were achieved.