3D‐Printing Assisted Bidirectional <i>π</i> ‐Structured Thermoelectric Generators: Reverse‐Designed Flexible Architectures for Curved Heat Sources

Abstract

Abstract Thermoelectric generators (TEGs) demonstrate significant potential for sustainable energy harvesting through direct heat‐to‐electricity conversion. Nevertheless, conventional fully encapsulated designs face critical limitations including heat dissipation inefficiencies and restricted conformability to complex curved surfaces. This investigation proposes a breakthrough bidirectional π ‐structured (BD π ‐structure) that achieves enhanced mechanical compliance while establishing a mechano‐electrical coupling criterion for abrupt curvature transitions. Through implementing a reverse design framework integrating 3D scanning and curvature distribution analysis, customized topological configurations are specifically developed and adapted to target heat source geometries. Concurrently, a novel photocurable composite with enhanced thermal conductivity (0.213 W·m −1 ·K −1 ) is designed through 3D‐printed structural optimization, achieving 59.1% power enhancement compared to conventional encapsulated modules. Experimental validation demonstrates remarkable surface fit tightness of 90.7% (positive Gaussian) and 80.2% (negative Gaussian), translating to exceptional power output improvements of 432.7% and 253.2% relative to non‐optimized counterparts. This work establishes a comprehensive framework encompassing material innovation, structural design, and system integration strategies, significantly advancing flexible thermoelectric technology for high‐efficiency energy harvesting from geometrically complex thermal sources.