An overview of thermoelectric films: Fabrication techniques, classification, and regulation methods

Abstract

Thermoelectric materials have aroused widespread concern due to their unique ability to directly convert heat to electricity without any moving parts or noxious emissions. Taking advantages of two-dimensional structures of thermoelectric films, the potential applications of thermoelectric materials are diversified, particularly in microdevices. Well-controlled nanostructures in thermoelectric films are effective to optimize the electrical and thermal transport, which can significantly improve the performance of thermoelectric materials. In this paper, various physical and chemical approaches to fabricate thermoelectric films, including inorganic, organic, and inorganic-organic composites, are summarized, where more attentions are paid on the inorganic thermoelectric films for their excellent thermoelectric responses. Additionally, strategies for enhancing the performance of thermoelectric films are also discussed.

Researching progress on bio-reactive electrogenic materials with electrophysiological activity for enhanced bone regeneration

“…The second is lead telluride and its alloy, which are widely used in thermoelectric generators with an optimal operating temperature of approximately 1,000°C. The third is silicon germanium alloy, which is also widely used in thermoelectric generators with an optimal operating temperature of approximately 1,300°C ( Chen et al, 2018 ; Feng et al, 2018 ).…”

Synthesis of nanoporous Ca3Co4O9 thin films for flexible thermoelectrics

“…Thermoelectric generators [3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13] can directly convert thermal energy (temperature gradients) into electric energy (voltage) and vice versa. The field of thermoelectrics began in the early 19 th century with the discovery of the Seebeck effect [14,15].…”

“…Many strategies have been used to enhance the thermoelectric performance of Ca3Co4O9 [26][27][28][29]. Compared with bulk materials, thermoelectric thin films can exhibit improved thermoelectric properties due to size effect and quantum confinement [7,10,30]. Otherwise, thin film materials can extend the field of application to flexible devices and miniaturization due to the light weight and lack of restrictions on shape [31][32][33][34][35].…”

Enhanced Antioxidation and Thermoelectric Properties of the Flexible Screen-Printed Bi2Te3 Films through Interface Modification

“…Energy shortage is a key problem hindering social progress and economic development, and nearly 70% of global energy is wasted as low-grade heat dissipated into the environment . Thermoelectric (TE) materials enable a direct heat-to-electricity energy conversion without any moving parts or noxious emissions and, as a result, have received widespread scientific and technological interest over the past several decades. , Nowadays, researchers are not only committed to high energy conversion efficiency, but also to large-scale mass production and high-density integration. , Thanks to the simplicity and affordability of advanced printing fabrication technologies, such as inkjet printing, 3D printing, dispenser printing, and screen printing, they have gained great attention. Herein, taking advantages of easy processing and mass production, screen printing makes it possible to fabricate thin-film TE devices with the desired size and shape without any materials waste caused by dicing, slicing, and etching. , For example, by using a radial structure, Tang et al printed a micro-radioisotope TE generator with five couples TE legs, and a maximum output power of 5.81 μW was achieved when loaded with 1.5 W isotope heat sources .…”

“…1 Thermoelectric (TE) materials enable a direct heat-toelectricity energy conversion without any moving parts or noxious emissions and, as a result, have received widespread scientific and technological interest over the past several decades. 2,3 Nowadays, researchers are not only committed to high energy conversion efficiency, but also to large-scale mass production and high-density integration. 4,5 Thanks to the simplicity and affordability of advanced printing fabrication technologies, such as inkjet printing, 6 3D printing, 7 dispenser printing, 8 and screen printing, 9 they have gained great attention.…”