High-performance, flexible thermoelectric generator based on bulk materials
Qian Xu, Biao Deng, Lenan Zhang, Shaoting Lin, Zhijia Han, Qing Zhou, Jun Li, Yongbin Zhu, Feng Jiang, Qikai Li, Pengxiang Zhang, Xinbo Zhang, Gang Chen, Weishu Liu
Abstract
Flexible thermoelectric generators (f-TEGs) are promising solutions to power supply for wearable devices. However, the high fabrication costs and low output power density of conventional f-TEGs limit their applications. Here, we present a bulk-material-based f-TEG featuring multifunctional copper electrodes for heat concentration and dissipation and fabrics for comfort and heat-leakage reduction. When worn on the forehead, our f-TEG’s maximum output power density (based on the device’s area) reaches 48 μW/cm2 at a wind speed of 2 m/s and an ambient temperature of 15°C. A light-emitting diode (LED) powered by our f-TEG headband with 100 pairs of thermoelectric pillars can illuminate a paper for reading in a dark room at 17.5°C without an external heat sink or forced convection at the cold side. This work provides a general design approach for high-performance f-TEGs at a low cost. The device-level perspectives fill the critical knowledge gap between state-of-the-art material innovations and practical thermoelectric applications.