Flexible thermoelectric generators (TEGs) are a promising solution to the problem of powering the self-powered wearable electronics. They directly convert thermal energy into electrical energy and provide close thermal contact with various developed surfaces. In this work, the developed technology for the development and fabrication of a flexible TEG by screen printing from modified suspensions is presented. For the formation of n- and p-type legs, suspensions based on powders of thermoelectric materials Bi2Te2,8Se0,2 (n-type) and Bi0,5Sb1,5Te3 (p-type), respectively, with a modifying additive of copper oxide nanopowder (0.1 wt. %) and an aqueous alkaline solution of sodium silicate as a binder were used. A silicone matrix with geometric parameters 35 44 3 mm was used as a flexible base. It has been established that the modification of suspensions makes it possible to increase the power density of the developed flexible thermoelectric generator by 7.5 times compared to TEGs based on legs in unmodified suspensions. It was demonstrated that at low temperatures the thermal emf of developed flexible TEG corresponds to the thermal emf of TEGs from the literature and of those manufactured without the use of additives. At the same time, with an increase in the temperature difference at the hot and cold junctions the thermal emf of TEG under consideration is significantly higher. Thus, the proposed technology is promising and can be used to form legs of thermoelements in flexible TEGs.
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Key words:
thermoelectric materials, thermoelectric generator, TEG, thermal emf
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Published in:
Technological processes and routes
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Bibliography link:
Voloshchuk I. A., Terekhov D. Yu., Shtern M. Yu., Sherchenkov A. A. Technology for fabricating a flexible thermoelectric generator by screen printing of modified suspensions based on Bi2Te3-Bi2Se3 and Bi2Te3-Sb2Te3 solid solutions. Proc. Univ. Electronics, 2025, vol. 30, no. 1, pp. 16–23. https://doi.org/10.24151/1561-5405-2025-30-1-16-23.
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Financial source:
The work has been supported by the Russian Science Foundation (project no. 20-19-00494).
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