Scalable, low-cost ink-based processing of high-performance silver selenide thermoelectrics.

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Sustainable Energy
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Growing global energy demand and climate change necessitate sustainable energy solutions.
• Thermoelectric (TE) devices offer direct waste heat-to-electricity conversion and solid-state cooling.
• Scalable, cost-effective manufacturing is crucial for widespread TE device adoption.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce a transformative ink-based processing approach for scalable manufacturing of high-performance silver selenide (Ag2Se) TE materials and devices.
• To optimize Ag2Se composition and processing for enhanced thermoelectric properties.
• To demonstrate the potential of this method for industrial-scale TE device production.

Main Methods:

• Development of an ink-based formulation for Ag2Se.
• Utilizing a high-throughput ink-mixing and blade coating strategy.
• Optimization of material composition and processing conditions.

Main Results:

• Achieved an ultrahigh room-temperature power factor of 2.8 mW m⁻¹ K⁻² in Ag2Se materials, over 100% higher than baseline.
• Demonstrated a reproducible figure of merit (zT) of 1 at room temperature.
• A thermoelectric generator (TEG) achieved a power density of 112 mW cm⁻² with a 90 °C temperature difference.

Conclusions:

• The facile, scalable ink-based processing establishes a practical pathway for industrial-scale manufacturing of TE devices.
• This method significantly advances the potential for widespread adoption of thermoelectric technologies for sustainable energy.
• The developed Ag2Se materials exhibit competitive performance for waste heat energy harvesting and cooling applications.