Development of High-Efficiency Stretchable Thermoelectric Devices
Mass Production Enabled by Process Automation
Commercialization of Self-Powered Wearable Devices Possible
(a) shows a highly flexible thermoelectric device that can be freely deformed. (b) shows a self-powered glove that detects hot objects by connecting the flexible thermoelectric device to a light-emitting device.
[Asia Economy Reporter Junho Hwang] A flexible thermoelectric device that can be attached to human skin has been developed. A thermoelectric device converts thermal energy into electrical energy through the temperature difference between both ends of a material. This device is capable of mass production and is expected to be utilized in wearable devices or artificial skin in the future.
Development of Flexible Thermoelectric Device
Dr. Seungjun Jeong of the Soft Convergence Materials Research Center at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) announced on the 1st that, through joint research with Professor Yongtaek Hong of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Seoul National University, they developed a stretchable thermoelectric device with high power generation performance by maximizing flexibility and heat transfer efficiency. The research results were recently published in the international journal Nature Communications.
The research team connected high-performance inorganic thermoelectric materials with a stretchable substrate embedded with silver nanowires, lowering the resistance of the thermoelectric device while increasing flexibility. The fabricated thermoelectric device exhibited excellent flexibility, allowing stable operation even when bent or stretched. Additionally, by incorporating metal particles with high thermal conductivity inside the stretchable substrate, the heat transfer capability of the substrate was increased by approximately 800% compared to conventional substrates, and power output was increased more than threefold. Simultaneously, the researchers automated the entire complex process from the soft platform process to the formation of the thermoelectric device, enabling mass production of the developed device.
Utilization as High-Temperature Detection Sensors in Industrial Fields
The research team expects the developed device to be used as a high-temperature detection sensor in industrial sites. They anticipate that it could be used to create battery-free autonomous driving distance detection sensors by utilizing the temperature difference inside and outside automobiles.
Dr. Jeong stated, "Through this research, we demonstrated that it is possible to operate actual wearable devices such as high-temperature detection sensor gloves by utilizing external heat," adding, "In the future, we plan to develop a flexible thermoelectric platform that can operate wearable devices using only body temperature." He also explained, "The functional composite materials, thermoelectric device platform, and high-yield automated process developed in this study could contribute to the commercialization of battery-free wearable devices in the future."
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