Innovative design of bismuth-telluride-based thermoelectric micro-generators with high output power

The ever-increasing number of connected objects requires novel ways to power them and make them fully autonomous. In this context, photovoltaic, piezoelectric or thermoelectric energy-harvesting technologies show great promises as they make possible the conversion of solar radiation, motion or thermal energy into useful electricity for charging micro-batteries for instance. Thermoelectric micro-generators (mu-TEGs) exhibit several key benefits, making them prime candidates for harvesting any temperature difference between their two exchange surfaces. However, their output power critically depends on the design of the mu-TEG, the minimization of the detrimental influence of the contact resistances and on the coupling of the mu-TEG with the heat source and heat sink. Here, we theoretically and experimentally demonstrate how these inherent difficulties can be mitigated using an innovative flexible mu-TEG design based on bismuth telluride thin films. Our experimental results show that an output power of 5.5 mu W per thermocouple can be generated under a temperature difference of only 5 K, in excellent agreement with predictions based on three-dimensional finite element analyses. These remarkable results rank our mu-TEG among the best micro-generators currently available.