High-performance compliant thermoelectric generators with magnetically self-assembled soft heat conductors for self-powered wearable electronics.

ABSTRACT: Softening of thermoelectric generators facilitates conformal contact with arbitrary-shaped heat sources, which offers an opportunity to realize self-powered wearable applications. However, existing wearable thermoelectric devices inevitably exhibit reduced thermoelectric conversion efficiency due to the parasitic heat loss in high-thermal-impedance polymer substrates and poor thermal contact arising from rigid interconnects. Here, we propose compliant thermoelectric generators with intrinsically stretchable interconnects and soft heat conductors that achieve high thermoelectric performance and unprecedented conformability simultaneously. The silver-nanowire-based soft electrodes interconnect bismuth-telluride-based thermoelectric legs, effectively absorbing strain energy, which allows our

SUBMITTER: Lee B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7684283 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature