Highly Ductile N-Type Thermoelectric MOF-Based Foams

Flexible thermoelectric materials have received growing attention for the development of flexible power sources and wearable electronics. Metal–organic framework (MOF) materials have driven the development of flexible thermoelectrics owing to their tailored electrical and thermal properties. However, the scarcity of effective n-type flexible thermoelectrics has hindered their widespread applications in traditional π-shaped thermoelectric device designs. We report a flexible and ductile n-type thermoelectric Nickel–Copper-MOF@Polyaniline/Nickel foam (NCM@PANI/NF) through an in situ synthesis and surface grafting. This foam exhibits a dominant Seebeck coefficient of −53.1 μV·K –1, a high electrical conductivity of 872.39 S·m –1, and a low thermal conductivity of 0.126 W·m –1 ·K –1, outperforming previously reported n-type thermoelectric MOF-based materials in terms of its comprehensive properties. Owing to its excellent shape-controlled capability, the ductile NCM@PANI/NF array device is capable of seamlessly adapting to heat sources of diverse shapes, enabling efficient thermal energy harvesting. This work demonstrates a promising approach for optimizing the performance and structural design of MOF-based materials in flexible thermoelectric power generation.