npj Flexible Electronics (Mar 2021)

Facile fabrication of paper-based flexible thermoelectric generator

  • Zuoyuan Dong,
  • Hua Liu,
  • Xin Yang,
  • Jichen Fan,
  • Hengchang Bi,
  • Chaolun Wang,
  • Yonghua Zhang,
  • Chen Luo,
  • Xinqian Chen,
  • Xing Wu

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41528-021-00103-1
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 5, no. 1
pp. 1 – 6

Abstract

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Abstract Paper, as a foldable, pollution-free, and low-cost material, has become a suitable support substrate for producing flexible thermoelectric (TE) generators to realize waste heat recycling and the application of human-powered electronic devices. We propose a facile fabrication method to modify cellulose paper with inorganic TE powders via vacuum filtration, making a modified paper that possesses good thermoelectric properties. By connecting the modified paper to copper foils, flexible paper-based TE generators (PTGs) are fabricated. The obtained PTG with three units of P–N modules can generate an output voltage of ∼41.2 mV at a temperature difference of 50 K. Based on this modified paper, a thermal sensor that responds to heat sources, such as fingers, is proposed with a rapid response time of 0.25 s. This work offers a promising strategy for the simple fabrication of PTGs, paving the way for achieving the commercial application of self-powered wearable electronics.