Recently, flexible thermoelectric generator (FlexTEG) modules using organic or thin film materials have gained much attention due to their potential applications for, for example, wireless sensors and wearable power. However, the performance of these modules is poor and still far from the requirement for energy harvesting. Here, the traditional semiconductor packaging technique is adapted to fabricate a large‐scale FlexTEG, for use in energy harvesting on both planar and nonplanar surfaces. The module uses high‐performance bismuth‐telluride p‐ and n‐type chips on a flexible thin plastic substrate. Using a unique isotropic design for mounting the chips, a FlexTEG module consisting of 250 p‐n pairs is successfully fabricated on a 50 × 50 mm2 flexible substrate. The output power, mechanical strength, and bending properties are investigated at different temperature gradients and bending cycles. The module exhibits a maximum output power density of 158 mW cm−2 at dT = 105 K, corresponding to an efficiency value of 1.84%, which is comparable to a conventional bulk TEG. Mechanical tests reveal that the flexible module is reliable and stable during bending. These results open great potential for applications in portable, wearable, or implantable electronic devices.
The
metal-organic decomposition (MOD) method, which is a nanoscale
film-forming process, has attracted much attention as the next generation
of advanced coating techniques. Functional thin films of metals and
metal oxides, especially nanostructural materials, are required to
be formed on any substrate through reduced raw materials/resources,
while also saving energy and using low-cost materials in the fabrication
process. In this study, titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanocrystalline
structure thin films have been directly synthesized successfully while
also demonstrating growth on the substrate using the MOD method, a
process combining the coating and heat sintering or photosintering.
We obtained two kinds of dendrimerlike and spherelike nanostructural
morphologies as TiO2 at low temperatures in both the heating
and photosintering techniques through the capping and redaction effects
of stabilizers in our two precursors. In particular, metal oxides
film formed successfully on plastic substrate without any damage to
the substrate. The gas sensor device from the spherelike TiO2 nanostructure by the MOD method shows an excellent high-speed gas-sensing
response and recovery time because the TiO2 nanocrystal
structures have a large surface area and a highly crystalline structure,
which are useful for applications in both universal electronic devices
and gas sensors.
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