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The recent interest in wearable electronics suggests flexible thermoelectrics as candidates for the power supply. Herein, we report a solution process to fabricate flexible Sb2Te3 thermoelectric th...

Compared with the large plastic deformation observed in ductile metals and organic materials, inorganic semiconductors have limited plasticity (0.2%) due to their intrinsic bonding characters, restricting their widespread applications in stretchable electronics. Herein, the solution-processed synthesis of ductile α-Ag

Bipolar conduction in Bi-Te-based alloys is a critical barrier to high conversion efficiency in thermoelectric power generation applications. Herein, we investigate the effect of Te/Se ratio control on bipolar conduction in n-type Cu0.008Bi2(Te,Se)3. Based on the two-band model and Callaway model, we found that electronic and thermal transports of minority carriers (holes) were gradually decreased with an increase in Se content. The high-temperature power factor of Se-rich Cu0.008Bi2Te2.1Se0.9 was higher in value compared to reference Cu0.008Bi2Te2.7Se0.3 due to the weighted mobility ratio increase, and its bipolar thermal conductivity was significantly reduced simultaneously. As a result, a peak figure of merit (zT) of 0.92 was obtained at 440 K in Cu0.008Bi2Te2.1Se0.9.

Thermoelectric energy conversion offers a unique solution for generating electricity from waste heat. However, despite recent improvements in the efficiency of thermoelectric materials, the widespread application of thermoelectric generators has been hampered by challenges in fabricating thermoelectric materials with appropriate dimensions to perfectly fit heat sources. Herein, we report an extrusion-based three-dimensional printing method to produce thermoelectric materials with geometries suitable for heat sources. All-inorganic viscoelastic inks were synthesized using Sb2Te3 chalcogenidometallate ions as inorganic binders for Bi2Te3-based particles. Three-dimensional printed materials with various geometries showed homogenous thermoelectric properties, and their dimensionless figure-of-merit values of 0.9 (p-type) and 0.6 (n-type) were comparable to the bulk values. Conformal cylindrical thermoelectric generators made of 3D-printed half rings mounted on an alumina pipe were studied both experimentally and computationally. Simulations show that the power output of the conformal, shape-optimized generator is higher than that of conventional planar generators. Three-dimensional printing is changing the way we manufacture objects. Here, Kim et al. develop inks of inorganic thermoelectric materials to 3D print the legs of conformable thermoelectric generators, allowing waste heat recovery from hot water pipes.

Over the past decade, nanostructuring has become the core of thermoelectric (TE) material research because it creates numerous internal interfaces that provide an effective way to tune the electrical and/or thermal properties of TE materials. Herein, we report a synthesis of interface-engineered BiSbTe nanostructured TE materials by introducing chemically synthesized molecular Ten2− polyanions into BiSbTe particles, from which BiSbTe nanostructured materials with high-density Te interfacial layers are prepared in thin films and sintered pellets. These Te layers form the contact potential well at the BiSbTe-Te junction to realize energy dependent carrier scattering and scatter phonons effectively, thus resulting in simultaneous improvement in the electrical and thermal properties to increase the ZT value well above 1.3 ± 0.14 that is increased by 40% compared to bulk BiSbTe. The findings of current study can open up new chemical design spaces for interface-engineered electronic and TE materials.

The growing concern over the depletion of hydrocarbon resources, and the adverse environmental effects associated with their use, has increased the demand for renewable energy sources. Thermoelectric (TE) power generation from waste heat has emerged as a renewable energy source that does not generate any pollutants. Recently, ink-based processing for the preparation of TE materials has attracted tremendous attention because of the simplicity in design of power generators and the possibility of cost-effective manufacturing. In this progress report, recent advances in the development of TE inks, processing techniques, and ink-fabricated devices are reviewed. A summary of typical formulations of TE materials as inks is included, as well as a discussion on various ink-based fabrication methods, with several examples of newly designed devices fabricated using these techniques. Finally, the prospects of this field with respect to the industrialization of TE power generation technology are presented.