journal article·2024-06Open access

Fully Screen‐Printed, Flexible, and Scalable Organic Monolithic Thermoelectric Generators

Irene Brunetti, Federico Ferrari, Nathan James Pataki, Sina Abdolhosseinzadeh, Jakob Heier, L. Jan Anton Koster, Ulrich Lemmer, Martijn Kemerink, Mario Caironi

Advanced Materials Technologies· Volume 9· Issue 11

Abstract

Abstract Energy‐harvesting technologies offer a sustainable, maintenance‐free alternative to conventional energy‐storage solutions in distributed low‐power applications. Flexible thermoelectric generators (TEGs) can generate electric power from a temperature gradient, even on complex surfaces. Organic materials are ideal candidates for flexible TEGs due to their good solution‐processability, natural abundance, low weight, and flexibility. Electronic and thermoelectric properties of organic materials have steadily progressed, while device architectures leveraging their advantages are largely missing. Here, a design and fabrication method are proposed for producing fully screen‐printed, flexible monolithic organic TEGs scalable up to m2, compatible with any screen‐printable ink. This approach is validated, along with its scalability, by printing TEGs composed of two different active inks, in three configurations, with up to 800 thermoelements, with performances well matching simulations based on materials parameters. It is demonstrated that by using an additive‐free graphene ink, a remarkable power density of 15 nW cm−2 at ΔT = 29.5 K can be achieved, with an estimated weight‐normalized power output of 1 µW g−1, highlighting a strong potential in portability. Owing to such power density, only limited areas are required to generate microwatts, sufficient for operating low‐power electronic devices such as sensors, and wearables.
Source: crossref · Quality: baseline

Research context

OpenAlex topics: Advanced Thermoelectric Materials and Devices · Conducting polymers and applications · Advanced Sensor and Energy Harvesting Materials

SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.

Affiliations

InnovationLab Speyererstr. 4 69115 Heidelberg Germany

Light Technology Institute Karlsruhe Institute of Technology Engesserstrasse 13 76131 Karlsruhe Germany

Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials University of Groningen Nijenborgh 4 Groningen 9747 AG The Netherlands

Center for Nano Science and Technology Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia Via Rubattino 81 Milano 20134 Italy

Department of Physic Politecnico di Milano Piazza Leonardo da Vinci 32 Milano 20133 Italy

Laboratory for Functional Polymers Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology (Empa) Überlandstrasse 129 Dübendorf CH‐8600 Switzerland

Institute for Molecular Systems Engineering and Advanced Materials Heidelberg University 69120 Heidelberg Germany

Funding

HORIZON EUROPE Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions

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