Ultra-flexible thermoelectric generator based on silicone rubber sheet and electrodeposited thermoelectric material for waste heat harvesting

Thermoelectric generator (TEG) has a great potential for powering wireless Internet of Things (IoT) sensing systems and wearable electronic devices because of its capability of harvesting thermal energy into usable electricity. Herein, this work reports a high-performance ultra-flexible TEG based on a silicone rubber sheet and electrodeposited thermoelectric material. The fabricated flexible TEG shows a high output voltage of 1V under a temperature difference ΔT of 60 °C. Its maximum output power is obtained as 77.41 mW corresponding to the power density of 552.9μW/cm 2 under the same above ΔT. Fabricated flexible TEG shows higher performance and its flexible characteristic much better in comparison to the recent related works. The fabricated flexible TEG’s mechanical reliability and repeatability characteristics have been examined, and its output performance is highly consistent under high mechanical deformation. Moreover, the fabricated flexible TEG has been successfully demonstrated as an electrical power source for a temperature and humidity monitoring electronic device driven by heat waste generated by an electric thermos pot. The investigation may open an opportunity in a futuristic flexible TEG, especially in wireless self-powered sensing systems.