Enhanced performance of dispenser printed MA n-type Bi2Te 3 composite thermoelectric generators

Deepa Madan, Zuoqian Wang, Alic Chen, Rei Cheng Juang, Jay Keist, Paul K. Wright, Jim W. Evans

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

116 Scopus citations

Abstract

This work presents performance advancements of dispenser printed composite thermoelectric materials and devices. Dispenser printed thick films allow for low-cost and scalable manufacturing of microscale energy harvesting devices. A maximum ZT value of 0.31 has been achieved for mechanically alloyed (MA) n-type Bi2Te3-epoxy composite films with 1 wt % Se cured at 350 °C. The enhancement of ZT is a result of increase in the electrical conductivity through the addition of Se, which ultimately lowers the sintering temperature (350 °C). A 62 single-leg thermoelectric generator (TEG) prototype with 5 mm × 700 μm × 120 μm printed element dimensions was fabricated on a custom designed polyimide substrate with thick metal contacts. The prototype device produced a power output of 25 μW at 0.23 mA current and 109 mV voltage for a temperature difference of 20 °C, which is sufficient for low power generation for autonomous microsystem applications.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)6117-6124
Number of pages8
JournalACS Applied Materials and Interfaces
Volume4
Issue number11
DOIs
StatePublished - Nov 28 2012

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • General Materials Science

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