Flexible thermoelectric generator with liquid metal interconnects and low thermal conductivity silicone filler

Viswanath Padmanabhan Ramesh; Yasaman Sargolzaeiaval; Taylor Neumann; Veena Misra; Daryoosh Vashaee; Michael D. Dickey; Mehmet C. Ozturk

doi:10.1038/s41528-021-00101-3

journal article Open Access Mar 08, 2021

Flexible thermoelectric generator with liquid metal interconnects and low thermal conductivity silicone filler

Viswanath Padmanabhan Ramesh Yasaman Sargolzaeiaval Taylor Neumann Veena Misra

Daryoosh Vashaee

Michael D. Dickey

Mehmet C. Ozturk

npj Flexible Electronics Vol. 5 No. 1 · Springer Science and Business Media LLC

View at Publisher Save 10.1038/s41528-021-00101-3

Abstract

AbstractHarvesting body heat using thermoelectricity provides a promising path to realizing self-powered, wearable electronics that can achieve continuous, long-term, uninterrupted health monitoring. This paper reports a flexible thermoelectric generator (TEG) that provides efficient conversion of body heat to electrical energy. The device relies on a low thermal conductivity aerogel–silicone composite that secures and thermally isolates the individual semiconductor elements that are connected in series using stretchable eutectic gallium-indium (EGaIn) liquid metal interconnects. The composite consists of aerogel particulates mixed into polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) providing as much as 50% reduction in the thermal conductivity of the silicone elastomer. Worn on the wrist, the flexible TEGs present output power density figures approaching 35 μWcm−2 at an air velocity of 1.2 ms−1, equivalent to walking speed. The results suggest that these flexible TEGs can serve as the main energy source for low-power wearable electronics.

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Metrics

85

Citations

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References

Details

Published: Mar 08, 2021
Vol/Issue: 5(1)
License: View

Authors

V

Viswanath Padmanabhan Ramesh

Y

Yasaman Sargolzaeiaval

Department of Physics, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467, USA.; GMZ Energy, Incorporated, 12A Hawthorn Street, Newton, MA 02458, USA.; Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.; Laboratory of Solid State Microstructures and Department of Physics, Nanjing University, China.; Department of Physics and Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, MIT, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.

M

Michael D. Dickey

Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27606, United States

M

Mehmet C. Ozturk

Funding

National Science Foundation Award: EEC1160483

Cite This Article

Viswanath Padmanabhan Ramesh, Yasaman Sargolzaeiaval, Taylor Neumann, et al. (2021). Flexible thermoelectric generator with liquid metal interconnects and low thermal conductivity silicone filler. npj Flexible Electronics, 5(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41528-021-00101-3

Flexible thermoelectric generator with liquid metal interconnects and low thermal conductivity silicone filler

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