A flexible thermoelectric generator created in Russia

MIET scientists have developed and manufactured a flexible generator for converting heat into electricity using screen printing based on suspensions created at the university. According to the scientists, the results of their study will help create devices capable of converting heat generated by the human body or various mechanisms into electricity. The results were presented in the Journal of Central South University.

Thermoelectric generators (or TEG) are devices capable of generating electric current using heat. Due to the temperature difference in the material, a flow of charge carriers occurs and an electrical potential difference is formed. Flexible thermoelectric generators are of particular interest to scientists, but currently they are at the stage of intensive research. An important task in particular is to find optimal compositions of thermoelectric materials.

A team of MIET scientists has developed and manufactured a prototype of a flexible thermoelectric generator using screen printing. To do this, the university has come up with its own method of thermoelement creation. The suspension compositions proposed for flexible TEGs include compounds of bismuth, tellurium and antimony. According to scientists, such compositions make it possible to convert one type of energy into another with high efficiency.

The university representatives shared that, during the study, the scientists had faced the problem of choosing a binding element for creating branches of thermoelements.

"The electrophysical, thermophysical and other properties of materials significantly depend on the binder in the screen printing method. The binding element must have high electrical conductivity, adhesive properties, high-quality bonding properties, low thermal conductivity, and it is also supposed to soak the materials well," said Alexey Babich, one of the study authors, researcher at the Institute of Advanced Materials and Technologies.

The screen printing technology potentially used to create flexible TEGs is of particular interest due to its accessibility. However, the development of such technology requires solving a number of complex tasks. Thus, it is required to investigate the properties of new potentially usable materials, determine the suitable material, work out methods of contact layers formation, as well as develop an optimal design of a TAG. It will allow the industry to get closer to mass production of devices.

"The results of our work can be used to create efficient flexible thermoelectric generators, the main advantage of which is the ability to take the necessary shape within certain limits," Alexey Babich pointed out.

In the future, the MIET research team plans to optimize the development by using materials with various additives to increase the efficiency of a prototype of a flexible thermoelectric generator.

Source: RIA Novosti