Shape-Versatile 3D Thermoelectric Generators by Additive Manufacturing

Additive manufacturing (AM) is a recent growing technology, which is currently implemented for different application fields, from rapid prototyping to cost-effective manufacturing of industrial components with complex shapes. Printable thermoelectric materials offer synergies with AM and can be integrated into 3D printed thermoelectric generators (TEGs). In this work, we have formulated an Ag2Se-based n-type printable thermoelectric (TE) ink with a high figure-of-merit of similar to 1 at room temperature. Three scaffolds with different shapes have been printed using 3D printing. The developed ink as n-type legs and commercially available PEDOT as p-type legs were then painted on the 3D printed scaffolds to fabricate three TEGs with a different number of legs and shapes. The performance of the TEGs was studied for different temperature differences between Delta T = 10 and 70 K. Power output (P-max) levels of several microwatts and output voltages of several millivolts can be easily achieved.

Automated summary

A high figure-of-merit printable thermoelectric ink based on Ag2Se has been formulated and applied to the manufacturing of 3D printed thermoelectric generators. Different shaped scaffolds were printed using 3D printing and then painted with n-type and p-type legs to fabricate TEGs with varying numbers of legs and shapes, achieving power output levels of several microwatts and output voltages of several millivolts.