Table 5.
Thermoelectric generator based 3D printed energy harvesting devices, their output energy capacities and applications
| Energy harvesting devices | Source of excitation | Materials | Performance | Applications | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flexible thermoelectric power generator | Electric heater | 30 K | TE materials | 80 mV | Wearable electronics |
| Segmented thermoelectric generators | Ceramic heater | 236 °C | BiSbTe-based viscoelastic inks | 8.7% | Self-powered sensors |
| Conformal cylindrical thermoelectric generators | Hot water flowing through alumina pipe | 39 °C | Bi2Te3-based inks | 1.62 mW | – |
| 3D printed SnSe thermoelectric generators | Thermoelectric tester | 772 K | Tin selenide (SnSe) | 20 µW | Solar cell applications |
| A flexible and stretchable organic thermoelectric device | Heating controller | 75 K | Polyurethane/CNT nanocomposites | 19.8 ± 0.2 µV/K | – |
| Shape-controllable thermoelectric devices | Heating rod | 54.6 K | Bi2Te3/(PVP) composites | 0.68 mW | – |
|
Self-healing and stretchable 3D-printed TE device |
Body temperature | 7 K | PEDOT: PSS | 12.2 nW | Flexible electronics |
|
Thick printed TE generator |
Microelectronic heat sink | 40 °C | Bi2Te3-based TE ingot | 10 W/cm2 | Microelectronic applications |
The references of the research papers cited in this table are provided in the Additional file 1
SnSe Tin selenide, CNT carbon nanotubes, PVP polyvinylpyrrolidone, TE thermoelectric, PEDOT: PSS poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) doped with polystyrene sulfonate