Recent advances, design guidelines, and prospects of flexible organic/inorganic thermoelectric composites

Thermoelectrics can recover waste heat, environmental heat or heats from different sources and convert it to electricity. Inorganic or metal thermoelectrics have higher ZT values and efficiency; however, they are also expensive, rigid or have poor mechanical properties, and they contain toxic or rare elements. Organic thermoelectrics have low cost, flexible mechanical properties, and facile and rapid formation; however, they have very low ZT values and efficiency compared with inorganic materials. Organic-inorganic composite thermoelectrics can benefit from both properties and are also extremely competitive for commercial applications. This review will focus on flexible organic-inorganic composite thermoelectrics and devices as well as their challenges. Thermoelectrics can recover waste heat, environmental heat or heats from different sources and convert it to electricity.