Flexible Bi2Te3-based thermoelectric generator with an ultra-high power density

Environmental energy harvesting based on flexible thermoelectric generator (f-TEG) provides an ideal micro-power source to drive the node sensors for the Internet of Things (IoT) and wearable electronics. However, the existing flexible thermoelectric devices have some disadvantages, such as low strength, large thermal resistance, complex manufacturing processes, and low reliability. Here, we report a high-performance f-TEG with a dimension of 2 x 16 x 0.6 mm(3), encapsulating 18 pairs of thermoelectric legs with the size of 0.38 x 0.38 x 0.38 mm(3). The flexible polyimide (PI) films with patterned electrodes act as the substrates, of which the upper one is cut into blocks to ensure the generator a minimum bending radius of 4.5 mm. The f-TEG can produce an open circuit voltage of 236 mV and output power of 4.19 mW under a temperature difference of 50 K, which remain almost unchanged even after 7400 times of bending tests. The power density reaches up to 13.1 mW/cm(2) at Delta T = 50 K, and the normalized output power density is 5.26 mu W/cm(2).K-2. These results are among the best performances reported for TEGs, which opens a new avenue for flexible micro-power system design and promotes the development of the next generation self-powered sensors and charge-free electronic devices.

Automated summary

The research reports a compact and high-performance flexible thermoelectric generator that can generate stable output power under a temperature difference of 50K, with almost no change in performance after multiple bending tests. These results pave the way for the design of flexible micro-power systems and promote the development of next-generation self-powered sensors and charge-free electronic devices.