Source: China Science Daily (Reporter: Liao Yang, Correspondent: Li Kunpeng), Qingdao University of Science and Technology (Produced by the Media Center, Source: Science and Technology Department, Polymer College, Party Committee (President) Office, Editor: Qiao Yuqing, Initial Review: Zhang Xu, Editorial Review: Qiao Zhengwen, Dong Wenxuan, Final Review: Li Kunpeng)
Professor Liu Kai’s team at Qingdao University of Science and Technology has developed the first N-type thermoelectric elastomer, known as “thermoelectric rubber,” providing a new solution for energy harvesting technologies in flexible electronics and wearable devices. The related research results were recently published online in “Nature.”
With the rapid development of wearable electronic devices and soft bioelectronics, providing efficient and flexible energy solutions has become an urgent issue. As an effective way to convert temperature differences into electrical energy, thermoelectric generation technology has shown broad application prospects. Traditionally, thermoelectric devices have mostly used inorganic thermoelectric materials, focusing on applications under rigid structures, lacking elasticity and shape adaptability, which limits their use in flexible and wearable devices.
To address this issue, researchers relied on the research results of Professor Lei Ting’s team at Peking University and Professor Hua Jing’s team at Qingdao University of Science and Technology to develop the N-type thermoelectric elastomer. This is an innovative material that combines elasticity, stretchability, and thermoelectric conversion capability, opening up new directions for energy harvesting technologies in wearable devices.
The research team synthesized the N-type thermoelectric elastomer by combining three strategies: uniform nanoscale phase separation, thermally activated crosslinking, and directional doping. This material exhibits excellent stretchability and resilience, with a tensile strain of up to 850%, comparable to traditional rubber. At the same time, its thermoelectric figure of merit can reach 0.49 at 300 Kelvin, approaching or even surpassing the performance of existing flexible or plastic inorganic thermoelectric materials. By precisely selecting the combination of elastomers and dopants, researchers can not only improve the material’s stretchability but also promote the formation of uniformly distributed semiconductor polymer nanofibers, thereby enhancing the material’s electrical conductivity and reducing thermal conductivity, breaking the shackles of thermoelectric materials that cannot simultaneously achieve high efficiency and adjustable elasticity.
Based on this, the research team manufactured the first elastic thermoelectric generator, demonstrating its application in harvesting human thermal energy and showcasing its potential to drive wearable electronic devices and biosensors. Unlike inorganic thermoelectric devices, the elastic thermoelectric generator does not require complex interconnection structures and can directly adapt to the skin surface while maintaining a high fill factor and low thermal resistance, making the device both efficient in thermoelectric conversion and excellent in comfort and shape adaptability.
Related paper information:
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-09387-z
END
Technology Achievement Evaluation Work Directory
-
Notice from the Beijing Energy and Environment Society on the commencement of technology achievement evaluation work
-
June 7, 2022: “Research on the Characteristics and Optimization Design of Thermodynamic Systems in Space Environments” project passed expert review
-
May 19, 2022: “Research and Application of Intelligent Flood Rescue Drainage Robots” project passed technology achievement evaluation
「Disclaimer」: Some materials or images in this article are reproduced from the internet and do not represent the position of this platform, for reference only. Copyright belongs to the original author. We share this article to disseminate more information and knowledge. If there is any infringement, please leave a message in the background to contact us for deletion, thank you!
Contact Us
Phone: 010-88505647
Address: No. 62, Xibali Village Road, Haidian District, Beijing
Website: http://www.biee.org.cn
Email: [email protected]
—— Beijing Energy and Environment Society ——