Inorganic thermoelectric thin films: From synthesis to application

Thermoelectric technologies constitute a sustainable paradigm for waste heat recovery. Inorganic thermoelectric thin films, leveraging low-dimensional transport phenomena and tunable physical properties, have emerged as premier candidates for flexible, miniaturized electronics. This review introduces various fabrication methodologies-including atomic layer deposition, molecular beam epitaxy, chemical vapor deposition, magnetron sputtering, and solution-based processing-elucidating their operational principles, comparative advantages, and inherent limitations. Subsequently, the deployment of these films in power generation and active cooling is discussed, emphasizing innovations in architectural design and mechanical properties. Finally, we outline promising research directions, including the convergence of hybrid fabrication strategies, artificial intelligence-driven optimization, and multifunctional device engineering for advancing thermoelectric thin films. Collectively, these developments signal a pathway toward next-generation thin-film flexible electronic systems that are both self-powered and thermally regulated.