High Power Factor Flexible Ag₂Te Film on Nylon by a Wet Chemical Method for Power Generator

Abstract

Herein, we develop a facile wet chemical method for the synthesis of Ag 2 Te powders at room temperature and flexible Ag 2 Te/nylon thermoelectric (TE) films are prepared by vacuum-assisted filtration of the synthesized Ag 2 Te powders and then hot pressing. Because of the good crystallinity of Ag 2 Te grains and continuous grain boundaries, an optimized film exhibits a power factor of 513 μW m −1 K −2 at 300 K, which stands among the highest values reported for Ag 2 Te-based films to date. In addition, the film also has good flexibility. A four-leg flexible TE device assembled with the film generates a power density of 5.46 W m −2 at a temperature gradient of 31.8 K. This work provides a facile and environmentally friendly method for preparing flexible Ag 2 Te films.