Triboelectric Charge-Driven Enhancement of the Output Voltage of BiSbTe-Based Thermoelectric Generators

A new approach to increasing the output voltage of a thermoelectric generator that does not involve material modification is demonstrated. The key component of the device is a dielectric layer and a metal layer with an air gap between them, attached at the cold side of a thermoelectric generator with a Cu/p-type BiSbTe/Au/Cr/SiO2/Si composition. When the two layers contact each other, negative charges are created on the dielectric surface, causing the electric potential difference across the two electrodes to increase, supported by density functional theory. An output voltage of ∼1.2 mV in a single BiSbTe TE leg is generated with an increase of 0.4 mV under a compressive force of 5 N. Finally, an active cooling system consisting of a small pinwheel is fabricated, and the output voltage is increased by the wind without a significant reduction in the wind speed through the pinwheel.