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3D printing of shape-conformable thermoelectric materials using all-inorganic Bi2Te3-based inks

Author

Listed:
  • Fredrick Kim

    (Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST))

  • Beomjin Kwon

    (University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign)

  • Youngho Eom

    (Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST))

  • Ji Eun Lee

    (Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute)

  • Sangmin Park

    (Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST))

  • Seungki Jo

    (Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST))

  • Sung Hoon Park

    (Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST))

  • Bong-Seo Kim

    (Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute)

  • Hye Jin Im

    (Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute)

  • Min Ho Lee

    (Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute)

  • Tae Sik Min

    (Korea Institute of Materials Science)

  • Kyung Tae Kim

    (Korea Institute of Materials Science)

  • Han Gi Chae

    (Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST))

  • William P. King

    (University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign)

  • Jae Sung Son

    (Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST))

Abstract

Thermoelectric energy conversion offers a unique solution for generating electricity from waste heat. However, despite recent improvements in the efficiency of thermoelectric materials, the widespread application of thermoelectric generators has been hampered by challenges in fabricating thermoelectric materials with appropriate dimensions to perfectly fit heat sources. Herein, we report an extrusion-based three-dimensional printing method to produce thermoelectric materials with geometries suitable for heat sources. All-inorganic viscoelastic inks were synthesized using Sb2Te3 chalcogenidometallate ions as inorganic binders for Bi2Te3-based particles. Three-dimensional printed materials with various geometries showed homogenous thermoelectric properties, and their dimensionless figure-of-merit values of 0.9 (p-type) and 0.6 (n-type) were comparable to the bulk values. Conformal cylindrical thermoelectric generators made of 3D-printed half rings mounted on an alumina pipe were studied both experimentally and computationally. Simulations show that the power output of the conformal, shape-optimized generator is higher than that of conventional planar generators.

Suggested Citation

  • Fredrick Kim & Beomjin Kwon & Youngho Eom & Ji Eun Lee & Sangmin Park & Seungki Jo & Sung Hoon Park & Bong-Seo Kim & Hye Jin Im & Min Ho Lee & Tae Sik Min & Kyung Tae Kim & Han Gi Chae & William P. Ki, 2018. "3D printing of shape-conformable thermoelectric materials using all-inorganic Bi2Te3-based inks," Nature Energy, Nature, vol. 3(4), pages 301-309, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natene:v:3:y:2018:i:4:d:10.1038_s41560-017-0071-2
    DOI: 10.1038/s41560-017-0071-2
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Yuan, Zicheng & Tang, Xiaobin & Xu, Zhiheng & Li, Junqin & Chen, Wang & Liu, Kai & Liu, Yunpeng & Zhang, Zhengrong, 2018. "Screen-printed radial structure micro radioisotope thermoelectric generator," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 225(C), pages 746-754.
    2. Lianhui Li & Sijia Feng & Yuanyuan Bai & Xianqing Yang & Mengyuan Liu & Mingming Hao & Shuqi Wang & Yue Wu & Fuqin Sun & Zheng Liu & Ting Zhang, 2022. "Enhancing hydrovoltaic power generation through heat conduction effects," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-9, December.
    3. Su, Ning & Zhu, Pengfei & Pan, Yuhui & Li, Fu & Li, Bo, 2020. "3D-printing of shape-controllable thermoelectric devices with enhanced output performance," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 195(C).
    4. Liu, Kai & Tang, Xiaobin & Liu, Yunpeng & Xu, Zhiheng & Yuan, Zicheng & Zhang, Zhengrong, 2020. "Enhancing the performance of fully-scaled structure-adjustable 3D thermoelectric devices based on cold–press sintering and molding," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 206(C).
    5. Hanhwi Jang & Jong Bae Kim & Abbey Stanley & Suhyeon Lee & Yeongseon Kim & Sang Hyun Park & Min-Wook Oh, 2020. "Fabrication of Skutterudite-Based Tubular Thermoelectric Generator," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(5), pages 1-11, March.
    6. Dehai Yu & Zhonghao Wang & Guidong Chi & Qiubo Zhang & Junxian Fu & Maolin Li & Chuanke Liu & Quan Zhou & Zhen Li & Du Chen & Zhenghe Song & Zhizhu He, 2024. "Hydraulic-driven adaptable morphing active-cooling elastomer with bioinspired bicontinuous phases," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-12, December.
    7. Vaithinathan Karthikeyan & James Utama Surjadi & Xiaocui Li & Rong Fan & Vaskuri C. S. Theja & Wen Jung Li & Yang Lu & Vellaisamy A. L. Roy, 2023. "Three dimensional architected thermoelectric devices with high toughness and power conversion efficiency," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-10, December.
    8. Song Lv & Zuoqin Qian & Dengyun Hu & Xiaoyuan Li & Wei He, 2020. "A Comprehensive Review of Strategies and Approaches for Enhancing the Performance of Thermoelectric Module," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(12), pages 1-24, June.
    9. Seongheon Baek & Hyeong Woo Ban & Sanggyun Jeong & Seung Hwae Heo & Da Hwi Gu & Wooyong Choi & Seungjun Choo & Yae Eun Park & Jisu Yoo & Moon Kee Choi & Jiseok Lee & Jae Sung Son, 2022. "Generalised optical printing of photocurable metal chalcogenides," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-11, December.
    10. Matteo d’Angelo & Carmen Galassi & Nora Lecis, 2023. "Thermoelectric Materials and Applications: A Review," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(17), pages 1-50, September.

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