Precise Microstructural and Stoichiometric Control Advances Flexible Ag <sub>2</sub> Te Thin‐Film Thermoelectrics for Wearable Energy Harvesting
Abstract
ABSTRACT Ag 2 Te has emerged as a promising n‐type flexible thermoelectric material for harvesting body heat in wearable electronics. However, previously reported thin films have suffered from low carrier mobility and limited power factor of < 10 µW cm −1 K −2 . Here, we present a two‐step evaporation strategy on polyimide substrates at 280°C, followed by post‐annealing at 250°C, enabling precise microstructural and stoichiometric control. This approach yields Ag 2 Te films with an exceptional room‐temperature carrier mobility of 4756 cm 2 V −1 s −1 and a power factor of 17.9 µW cm −1 K −2 , outperforming both prior thin‐film and bulk counterparts. The resulting devices exhibit excellent flexibility and rapid transient voltage response across temperature differences of 10–40 K, delivering power density up to 11 W m −2 . Integrated into robotic systems and light emitting diode arrays, these films enable thermally triggered actuation and sensing, underscoring their potential for efficient, adaptable, and self‐powered applications in next‐generation Internet of Things devices and sensor networks.
Article Details
Authors (16)
Yue‐Xing Chen
Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Advanced Thin Films and Applications State Key Laboratory of Radio Frequency Heterogeneous Integration, Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Devices and Systems of Ministry of Education and Guangdong Province, College of Physics and Optoelectronic Engineering Shenzhen University Shenzhen Guangdong China
Xiao‐Lei Shi
School of Chemistry and Physics ARC Research Hub in Zero‐Emission Power Generation for Carbon Neutrality and Centre for Materials Science Queensland University of Technology Brisbane Queensland Australia
Ning Chen
College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, and State Key Laboratory of Radiation Medicine and Protection
Dong Yang
Zhongzhao Zha
Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Advanced Thin Films and Applications State Key Laboratory of Radio Frequency Heterogeneous Integration, Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Devices and Systems of Ministry of Education and Guangdong Province, College of Physics and Optoelectronic Engineering Shenzhen University Shenzhen Guangdong China
Hanwen Xu
Mohammad Nisar
Tianyi Cao
Bio-X Institutes, Key Laboratory for the Genetics of Developmental and Neuropsychiatric Disorders (Ministry of Education), Shanghai Jiao Tong University
Boxuan Hu
Meng Li
Ziya Wang
Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Advanced Thin Films and Applications State Key Laboratory of Radio Frequency Heterogeneous Integration, Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Devices and Systems of Ministry of Education and Guangdong Province, College of Physics and Optoelectronic Engineering Shenzhen University Shenzhen Guangdong China
Fu Li
School of Metallurgy
Guangxing Liang
Jingting Luo
State Key Laboratory of Radio Frequency Heterogeneous Integration, Shenzhen University 4 , Shenzhen 518060,
Zhuanghao Zheng
Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Advanced Thin Films and Applications, Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Devices and Systems of Ministry of Education and Guangdong Province, State Key Laboratory of Radio Frequency Heterogeneous Integration, College of Physics and Optoelectronic Engineering, Shenzhen University 1 , Shenzhen, Guangdong 518060,
Zhi‐Gang Chen
School of Chemistry and Physics ARC Research Hub in Zero‐Emission Power Generation for Carbon Neutrality and Centre for Materials Science Queensland University of Technology Brisbane Queensland Australia