摘要
Flexible thermoelectric generators (f-TEGs) can be used to supply power to wearable electronics or remote wireless sensors. Dispenser printing is an attractive f-TEG fabrication technique due to its direct-writing capability and cost-saving advantage. In this paper, we report the investigations of printing paste rheology, thermoelement sintering process and output performance of dispenser-printed f-TEGs. The sintered p- and n-type thermoelements exhibit high thermoelectric power factors of 23.2 and 19.1 μW/cm·K 2 , respectively, after optimization of both paste ingredients and sintering temperature. A planar f-TEGs containing 8 pairs of thermoelements can deliver a power of 68 μW under a temperature difference of 33 K. No performance degradation is detected for the f-TEG after 500 cycles of bending on a stainless-steel rod of 20 mm radius. The feasibility of powering a light-emitting-diode and charging a battery with a modular TEG containing seven f-TEGs is demonstrated.