Recent advances in flexible thermoelectric films and devices

Flexible thermoelectric (TE) generator (f-TEG) assembled with flexible TE films (f-TEFs), which can continuously output power by harvesting the heat energy (body heat and sunlight, etc.), is a very promising candidate to power wearable electronics and sensors. So, f-TEFs have attracted increasing attention in the last decade and made dramatic breakthrough in the last two years. In this paper, f-TEFs, which can be divided into two categories of free-standing flexible films and flexible substrate supported films, prepared by various methods, are reviewed. Strategies for improving the performance of the f-TEFs are proposed. Recent breakthroughs in f-TEFs and how these films are assembled into device designs taking advantage of their mechanical flexibility and TE properties are presented. In addition, the problems in studying f-TEFs and f-TEGs and the possible challenges are also summarized and detailed design guidelines regarding the TE properties and flexibility of the f-TEFs are provided.

Automated summary

Flexible thermoelectric films (f-TEFs) have gained increasing attention in the last decade and made significant breakthroughs in the past two years, being widely applied in flexible thermoelectric generators. This paper reviews the preparation methods of f-TEFs, proposes strategies for enhancing their performance, and showcases the design of device utilizing their mechanical flexibility and thermoelectric properties.