Robust bendable thermoelectric generators enabled by elasticity strengthening

• Published in: Nature communications Vol. 15; no. 1; pp. 9767 - 6
• Main Authors: Ding, Wenjun, Shen, Xinyi, Jin, Min, Hu, Yixin, Chen, Zhiwei, Meng, Erchao, Luo, Jun, Li, Wen, Pei, Yanzhong
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 11.11.2024; Nature Publishing Group; Nature Portfolio
• Subjects: 147/135; 639/301/299/2736; 639/4077/4107; Bend radius; Dislocation density; Ductility; Elastic recovery; Elasticity; Energy consumption; Flexibility; Formability; Generators; Hot rolling; Humanities and Social Sciences; Microstructure; multidisciplinary; Phase transitions; Power; Recoverability; Rigidity; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Strain; Strengthening; Thermoelectric generators; Thermoelectricity; Wearable technology
• ISSN: 2041-1723; 2041-1723
• DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-54084-6

Using body heat for instance, thermoelectric generators have promising applications for driving wearable electronics continuously but remain a challenge in terms of recoverable flexibility, as known highly-performing thermoelectrics are usually inorganics showing rigidity. It is conceptualized in this work a large elastic strain ensuring both a largely-curved recoverable bending and a full recoverability in thermoelectric performance after enormous bendings. This leads the current work to focus on a microstructure engineering approach for strengthening the elasticity of Ag 2 Se, in which dense dislocations and refined grain induced by a multi-pass hot-rolling technique enable a significant enhancement in elasticity. The resultant hot-rolled elastic thin thermoelectric generators realize a record bendability, for at least 1,000,000 times at a tiny bending radius of 3 mm with an extraordinary power density. Such a bendability is applicable to the most curved surfaces of a human body, suggesting a promising strategy for powerful wearable thermoelectrics of all inorganics. The authors strengthen the elasticity of Ag 2 Se by microstructure engineering approach, realizing bendability of the thermoelectric generator for at least 1,000,000 times at a tiny bending radius of 3 mm with a high power density.