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Howells G, Mehraban S, McGettrick J, Lavery N, Carnie MJ, Burton M. Rapid Printing of Pseudo-3D Printed SnSe Thermoelectric Generators Utilizing an Inorganic Binder. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2023; 15:23068-23076. [PMID: 37141177 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.3c01209] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
There has been much interest in tin selenide (SnSe) in the thermoelectric community since the discovery of the record zT in the material in 2014. Manufacturing techniques used to produce SnSe are largely energy-intensive (e.g., spark plasma sintering); however, recently, in previous work, SnSe has been shown to be produced via a low embodied energy printing technique, resulting in 3D samples with high zT values (up to 1.7). Due to the additive manufacturing technique, the manufacturing time required was substantial. In this work, 3D samples were printed using the inorganic binder sodium metasilicate and reusable molds. This facilitated a single-step printing process that substantially reduced the manufacturing time. The printed samples were thermally stable through multiple thermal cycles, and a peak zT of 0.751 at 823 K was observed with the optimum binder concentration. A proof-of-concept thermoelectric generator produced the highest power output of any reported printed Se-based TEG to date.
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Affiliation(s)
- Geraint Howells
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Swansea University, Swansea SA1 8EN, United Kingdom
| | - Shahin Mehraban
- MACH 1, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Swansea University, Swansea SA1 8EN, United Kingdom
| | - James McGettrick
- SPECIFIC-IKC, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Swansea University, Swansea SA1 8EN, United Kingdom
| | - Nicholas Lavery
- MACH 1, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Swansea University, Swansea SA1 8EN, United Kingdom
| | - Matthew J Carnie
- SPECIFIC-IKC, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Swansea University, Swansea SA1 8EN, United Kingdom
| | - Matthew Burton
- SPECIFIC-IKC, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Swansea University, Swansea SA1 8EN, United Kingdom
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Burton M, Howells G, Atoyo J, Carnie M. Printed Thermoelectrics. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2022; 34:e2108183. [PMID: 35080059 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202108183] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2021] [Revised: 01/07/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The looming impact of climate change and the diminishing supply of fossil fuels both highlight the need for a transition to more sustainable energy sources. While solar and wind can produce much of the energy needed, to meet all our energy demands there is a need for a diverse sustainable energy generation mix. Thermoelectrics can play a vital role in this, by harvesting otherwise wasted heat energy and converting it into useful electrical energy. While efficient thermoelectric materials have been known since the 1950s, thermoelectrics have not been utilized beyond a few niche applications. This can in part be attributed to the high cost of manufacturing and the geometrical restraints of current commercial manufacturing techniques. Printing offers a potential route to manufacture thermoelectric materials at a lower price point and allows for the fabrication of generators that are custom built to meet the waste heat source requirements. This review details the significant progress that has been made in recent years in printing of thermoelectric materials in all thermoelectric material groups and printing methods, and highlights very recent publications that show printing can now offer comparable performance to commercially manufactured thermoelectric materials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew Burton
- SPECIFIC, Materials Research Centre, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Swansea University, Bay Campus, Swansea, SA1 8EN, UK
| | - Geraint Howells
- M2A, Materials Research Centre, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Swansea University, Bay Campus, Swansea, SA1 8EN, UK
| | - Jonathan Atoyo
- M2A, Materials Research Centre, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Swansea University, Bay Campus, Swansea, SA1 8EN, UK
| | - Matthew Carnie
- SPECIFIC, Materials Research Centre, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Swansea University, Bay Campus, Swansea, SA1 8EN, UK
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Sohn S, Kim S, Shim JW, Jung SK, Jung S. Printed Organic Light-Emitting Diodes on Fabric with Roll-to-Roll Sputtered ITO Anode and Poly(vinyl alcohol) Planarization Layer. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2021; 13:28521-28528. [PMID: 34105342 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.1c02681] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
Electronic textiles, which are a combination of fabrics and electronics, can help realize wearable electronic devices by changing the rigidity of these textiles. We demonstrate organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) by directly printing the emitting material on fabric substrates using the nozzle-printing technique. Printing the emitting material directly on a fabric substrate with a rough surface is difficult. To address this, we introduce a planarization layer by using a synthesized 3.5 wt % poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) solution. The sputtered ITO anode with the thermally annealed PVA planarization layer on a fabric substrate achieves a low sheet resistance in the range of 60-80 Ω/sq, whereas the ITO electrode without a PVA layer exhibits high sheet resistance values of 10-25 kΩ/sq. This result is because the thermally annealed PVA layer on the fabric surface has a uniform surface morphology and a water contact angle as high as 96°, thus acting as a protective layer with a waterproofing effect; in contrast, the water is completely absorbed on the rough surface without a PVA layer. The fabric-based OLEDs with a thermally annealed PVA layer exhibit a lower turn-on voltage of 3 V and higher luminance values of 5346 cd/m2 at 8 V compared with the devices without a PVA layer (7 V and 3622 cd/m2) at 18 V. These fabric-based OLEDs with a PVA planarization layer can be produced by the nozzle-printing process and can achieve selective patterning as well as direct printing of the emitting material and ITO sputtering on a fabric substrate; furthermore, they emit well even when it bent into a circle with a radius of 1 cm.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sunyoung Sohn
- Department of Semiconductor Physics and Electronics, Sangji University, Wonju 26339, Republic of Korea
| | - Seongju Kim
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology, Pohang 37673, Republic of Korea
| | - Jae Won Shim
- School of Electrical Engineering, Korea University, Seoul 02841, Republic of Korea
| | | | - Sungjune Jung
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology, Pohang 37673, Republic of Korea
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology, Pohang 37673, Republic of Korea
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Ou C, Sangle AL, Datta A, Jing Q, Busolo T, Chalklen T, Narayan V, Kar-Narayan S. Fully Printed Organic-Inorganic Nanocomposites for Flexible Thermoelectric Applications. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2018; 10:19580-19587. [PMID: 29775276 PMCID: PMC6025883 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.8b01456] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
Thermoelectric materials, capable of interconverting heat and electricity, are attractive for applications in thermal energy harvesting as a means to power wireless sensors, wearable devices, and portable electronics. However, traditional inorganic thermoelectric materials pose significant challenges due to high cost, toxicity, scarcity, and brittleness, particularly when it comes to applications requiring flexibility. Here, we investigate organic-inorganic nanocomposites that have been developed from bespoke inks which are printed via an aerosol jet printing method onto flexible substrates. For this purpose, a novel in situ aerosol mixing method has been developed to ensure uniform distribution of Bi2Te3/Sb2Te3 nanocrystals, fabricated by a scalable solvothermal synthesis method, within a poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) polystyrene sulfonate matrix. The thermoelectric properties of the resulting printed nanocomposite structures have been evaluated as a function of composition, and the power factor was found to be maximum (∼30 μW/mK2) for a nominal loading fraction of 85 wt % Sb2Te3 nanoflakes. Importantly, the printed nanocomposites were found to be stable and robust upon repeated flexing to curvatures up to 300 m-1, making these hybrid materials particularly suitable for flexible thermoelectric applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Canlin Ou
- Department of Materials
Science & Metallurgy, University of
Cambridge, 27 Charles Babbage Road, Cambridge CB3 0FS, U.K.
| | - Abhijeet L. Sangle
- Department of Materials
Science & Metallurgy, University of
Cambridge, 27 Charles Babbage Road, Cambridge CB3 0FS, U.K.
| | - Anuja Datta
- Department of Materials
Science & Metallurgy, University of
Cambridge, 27 Charles Babbage Road, Cambridge CB3 0FS, U.K.
| | - Qingshen Jing
- Department of Materials
Science & Metallurgy, University of
Cambridge, 27 Charles Babbage Road, Cambridge CB3 0FS, U.K.
| | - Tommaso Busolo
- Department of Materials
Science & Metallurgy, University of
Cambridge, 27 Charles Babbage Road, Cambridge CB3 0FS, U.K.
| | - Thomas Chalklen
- Department of Materials
Science & Metallurgy, University of
Cambridge, 27 Charles Babbage Road, Cambridge CB3 0FS, U.K.
| | - Vijay Narayan
- Department of Physics,
Cavendish Laboratories, University of Cambridge, J. J. Thompson Avenue, Cambridge, CB3 0HE, U.K.
| | - Sohini Kar-Narayan
- Department of Materials
Science & Metallurgy, University of
Cambridge, 27 Charles Babbage Road, Cambridge CB3 0FS, U.K.
- E-mail:
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Mortazavinatanzi S, Rezaniakolaei A, Rosendahl L. Printing and Folding: A Solution for High-Throughput Processing of Organic Thin-Film Thermoelectric Devices. SENSORS 2018; 18:s18040989. [PMID: 29584634 PMCID: PMC5948843 DOI: 10.3390/s18040989] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2018] [Revised: 03/21/2018] [Accepted: 03/23/2018] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Wearable electronics are rapidly expanding, especially in applications like health monitoring through medical sensors and body area networks (BANs). Thermoelectric generators (TEGs) have been the main candidate among the different types of energy harvesting methods for body-mounted or even implantable sensors. Introducing new semiconductor materials like organic thermoelectric materials and advancing manufacturing techniques are paving the way to overcome the barriers associated with the bulky and inflexible nature of the common TEGs and are making it possible to fabricate flexible and biocompatible modules. Yet, the lower efficiency of these materials in comparison with bulk-inorganic counterparts as well as applying them mostly in the form of thin layers on flexible substrates limits their applications. This research aims to improve the functionality of thin and flexible organic thermoelectric generators (OTEs) by utilizing a novel design concept inspired by origami. The effects of critical geometric parameters are investigated using COMSOL Multiphysics to further prove the concept of printing and folding as an approach for the system level optimization of printed thin film TEGs.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Alireza Rezaniakolaei
- Department of Energy Technology, Aalborg University, Pontoppidanstraede 111, DK-9220 Aalborg, Denmark.
| | - Lasse Rosendahl
- Department of Energy Technology, Aalborg University, Pontoppidanstraede 111, DK-9220 Aalborg, Denmark.
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Orrill M, LeBlanc S. Printed thermoelectric materials and devices: Fabrication techniques, advantages, and challenges. J Appl Polym Sci 2016. [DOI: 10.1002/app.44256] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Michael Orrill
- Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department; The George Washington University; Washington District of Columbia 20052
| | - Saniya LeBlanc
- Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department; The George Washington University; Washington District of Columbia 20052
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