|
Authors
|
Simopoulos, F.; Karalis, G.; Krassas, M.; Porfyrakis, E.; Kampourakis, G.; Katsiaounis, S.; Papagelis, K.; Formanek, P.; Kavvadias, I. E.; Nikolaos, P. C.; Li, B.; Kymakis, E.; Tzounis, L.
|
|
Title
|
Screen-printed origami-inspired paper-based carbon nanotube thermoelectric generators with ultra-high power output
|
|
Date
|
18.03.2026
|
|
Number
|
0
|
|
Abstract
|
Thermoelectric generator (TEG) devices present a viable solution for low-power electronics through ambient thermal energy harvesting. However, the commonly employed fabrication processes and materials hinder their widespread application. Printed TEGs might offer numerous advantages, especially when it comes to fabrication cost, material utilization, flexibility, and shape/size versatility. In this work, environmentally friendly, aqueous pastes of p- and n-type single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) are developed and screen-printed on paper substrates to produce low-cost, lightweight, and foldable TEG devices. A fully foldable origami-TEG operating in through-thickness thermal gradient (ΔΤ) composed of 143 serially interconnected thermoelements generated an open-circuit voltage (Voc) of 313 mV, short-circuit current (Isc) of 334 μA, and maximum power output (Pout) of 25.7 μW at a ΔΤ of 60 K. The resulting power output value, Pmax = 3.19 mW cm–2, is among the highest reported total thermoelement area normalized surface power density among carbon-based, screen-printed devices. The origami-TEG electrical performance is validated by finite element (FE) analysis, while its durability is evaluated over consecutive folding-unfolding cyclic electromechanical tests. The modular origami-TEG devices can be interconnected into a multi-TEG system with four properly interconnected TEGs, generating a Voc of 414 mV under a ΔT of 20 K and charging a commercial step-up converter within 148 s toward plausible practical applications. Tailored device architectures of carbon nanotube-based screen-printed TEGs with high-power density can effectively realize the introduction of supplementary electrical low-power generation subsystems for energy-autonomous use cases, i.e., waste heat recovery toward self-powered electronics and low-power consumption IoT sensors.
|
|
Publisher
|
American Chemical Society
|
|
Wikidata
|
|
|
Citation
|
ACS Applied Electronic Materials 8 (2026) 2792-2808
|
|
DOI
|
https://doi.org/10.1021/acsaelm.5c02274
|
|
Tags
|
|
