Flexible All-Inorganic Thermoelectric Yarns

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Energy Harvesting

Background:

• Thermoelectric materials are crucial for energy harvesting but often brittle, limiting applications.
• Existing flexible thermoelectric solutions often involve compromises in efficiency or material composition.

Purpose of the Study:

• To overcome the brittleness of bismuth telluride (Bi$_{2}$Te$_{3}$) for improved thermoelectric applications.
• To develop flexible, all-inorganic thermoelectric materials with enhanced formability and functionality.

Main Methods:

• Synthesizing bismuth telluride (Bi$_{2}$Te$_{3}$) nanoribbons.
• Twisting Bi$_{2}$Te$_{3}$ nanoribbons into a yarn structure.
• Characterizing the thermoelectric properties and mechanical durability of the Bi$_{2}$Te$_{3}$ yarn.

Main Results:

• The Bi$_{2}$Te$_{3}$ yarn demonstrated excellent deformability, withstanding extreme bending and ≈5% tensile strain over 1000 cycles.
• The yarn maintained thermoelectric properties with a Seebeck coefficient of -126.6 µV K$^{-1}$.
• A thermoelectric generator using the yarns produced a maximum output voltage of 67.4 mV.

Conclusions:

• Nanoscale flexibility of Bi$_{2}$Te$_{3}$ nanoribbons can be harnessed to create formable thermoelectric yarns.
• These thermoelectric yarns offer a promising all-inorganic alternative for flexible and wearable electronic applications.
• The developed thermoelectric yarns show potential for efficient waste heat harvesting and integration into various structures.