| Abstract Scope |
Thermoelectric generation devices are able to convert waste heat into electricity directly. Recently, thick-film thermoelectric modules based on printing technology have been actively researched for their virtues of miniaturization, low cost and mass production. Our work focuses on the fabrication and characterization of thick-film thermoelectric modules prepared by dispenser printing method. Mechanically alloyed (MA) Bi0.45Sb1.55Te3Se0.034 was used as p-type material while MA Bi2Te2.7Se0.3 with Sb doping was used as n-type material. After the printing process, a hot-press sintering treatment was performed to improve the electrical conductivity of the printed films. The effects of pressing temperature, pressure and sintering duration on the transport properties of printed thermoelements are investigated. Moreover, a flexible thermoelectric generator (TEG) composed of 4 pairs of p-n thermoelements was fabricated, which can deliver 0.56 μW under a temperature difference of 13.4 K. The performance and stability of the flexible TEG module are also evaluated. |