Thermoelectric
generators (TEGs) provide a unique solution for
energy harvesting from waste heat, presenting a potential solution
for green energy. However, traditional rigid and flexible TEGs cannot
work on complex and dynamic surfaces. Here, we report a stretchable
TEG (S-TEG) (over 50% stretchability of the entire device) that is
geometrically suitable for various complex and dynamic surfaces of
heat sources. The S-TEG consists of hot-pressed nanolayered p-(Sb2Te3) and n-(Bi2Te3)-type
thermoelectric couple arrays and exploits the wavy serpentine interconnects
to integrate all units. The internal resistance of a 10 × 10
array is 22 ohm, and the output power is ∼0.15 mW/cm2 at ΔT = 19 K on both developable and nondevelopable
surfaces, which are much improved compared with those of existing
S-TEGs. The energy harvesting of S-TEG from the dynamic surfaces of
the human skin offers a potential energy solution for the wearable
devices for health monitoring.
Satisfying China's food demand without harming the environment is one of the greatest sustainability challenges for the coming decades. Here we provide a comprehensive forward-looking assessment of the environmental impacts of China's growing demand on the country itself and on its trading partners. We find that the increasing food demand, especially for livestock products (~16%-30% across all scenarios), would domestically require ~3-12 Mha of additional pasture between 2020 and 2050, resulting in ~−2% to +16% growth in agricultural greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The projected ~15%-24% reliance on agricultural imports in 2050 would result in ~90-175 Mha of agricultural land area and ~88-226 MtCO 2 -equivalent yr −1 of GHG emissions virtually imported to China, which account for ~26%-46% and ~13%-32% of China's global environmental impacts, respectively. The distribution of the environmental impacts between China and the rest of the world would substantially depend on development of trade openness. Thus, to limit the negative environmental impacts of its growing food consumption, besides domestic policies, China needs to also take responsibility in the development of sustainable international trade.
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