Paper Thermoelectrics: Merging Nanotechnology with Naturally Abundant Fibrous Material

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

8-31-2016

Abstract

The development of paper-based sensors, antennas, and energy-harvesting devices can transform the way electronic devices are manufactured and used. Herein we describe an approach to fabricate paper thermoelectric generators for the first time by directly impregnating naturally abundant cellulose materials with p- or n-type colloidal semiconductor quantum dots. We investigate Seebeck coefficients and electrical conductivities as a function of temperature between 300 and 400 K as well as in-plane thermal conductivities using Angstrom's method. We further demonstrate equipment-free fabrication of flexible thermoelectric modules using p- and n-type paper strips. Leveraged by paper's inherently low thermal conductivity and high flexibility, these paper modules have the potential to efficiently utilize heat available in natural and man-made environments by maximizing the thermal contact to heat sources of arbitrary geometry.

Identifier

84985903296 (Scopus)

Publication Title

ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces

External Full Text Location

https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.6b05843

e-ISSN

19448252

ISSN

19448244

First Page

22182

Last Page

22189

Issue

34

Volume

8

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