High Performance of n-Type Silver Telluride Nanoparticle-Embedded Nylon Membrane Composite Flexible Films for Thermoelectric Generators

Dueto the rapid advancement of flexible electronics, flexiblethermoelectric materials that capture waste thermal energy have attractedmuch interest in recent years. In this study, we presented the preparationof a flexible Ag2Te-nylon composite film using the vacuumfiltration method, which exhibited a high Seebeck coefficient (-135.5 mu V/K) and simultaneous lower thermal conductivity (0.29 W/mK), resulting in an enhanced power factor of about 450 mu W/mK(2) and a figure of merit (zT) of about0.48 at 313 K. The developed composite film demonstrates good flexibilityin the bending test by retaining about 87% of the electrical conductivityeven after 500 times bending. A single strip of the Ag2Te-nylon film can generate a maximum power density (PDmax) of similar to 466 mu W/cm(2) at a Delta T of similar to 36.8 K. The obtained thermoelectric performance of thepresent flexible film is higher in comparison to that of previouslyreported Ag2Te-based flexible thermoelectric generators.This shows great potential for the current method of fabrication ofa flexible thermoelectric film for converting low-grade heat intouseful electrical energy.

Automated summary

In this study, a flexible Ag2Te-nylon composite film with high Seebeck coefficient and low thermal conductivity was successfully prepared using the vacuum filtration method. The film exhibited enhanced power factor and figure of merit, and retained good electrical conductivity after bending. It showed higher thermoelectric performance compared to previously reported Ag2Te-based flexible thermoelectric generators, demonstrating great potential for converting low-grade heat into useful electrical energy.