Abstract
Currently, there are several thermoelectric materials, such as Ag2Te, Bi2Te3, and Sb2Te3, that have been investigated for thermoelectric applications. However, the toxicity and rarity of most of these materials make them unsuitable for practical applications. In contrast, silver selenide (Ag2Se) is an abundant and environment-friendly thermoelectric material. This study provides a facile synthetic approach for preparing high-performance, low-cost, and flexible Ag2Se thermoelectric films. Ag2Se nanomaterials were prepared based on the chemical template method, and the reaction solution concentration was varied to systematically investigate the effects of reaction solution concentration on the characterization and thermoelectric properties of Ag2Se nanomaterials. For convenience of testing, the flexible Ag2Se films were prepared on porous nylon membranes using vacuum-assisted filtration. The prepared thermoelectric films were tested using an X-ray diffractometer, scanning electron microscope, Seebeck coefficient tester, and Hall tester. The film prepared from the solution with the lowest concentration (18.0 mM) demonstrated the best thermoelectric performance, with a maximum power factor of 382.18 μW∙m−1∙K−2 at ~400 K. Additionally, a cold-pressing treatment could effectively enhance the electrical conductivity of the film, without damaging the substrate, as the conductivity of the film remained at 90% of the original value after 1500 bending cycles.
Highlights
The conversion efficiency of thermoelectric generators (TEGs) depends on the thermoelectric material
It can be seen from the surface morphology that the structures of the Ag2 Se nanomaterials with various reaction solution concentrations are very different
Nylon-based Ag2 Se flexible thermoelectric films were prepared by vacuum-assisted filtration, and their thermoelectric properties and flexibilities were systematically investigated at different concentrations
Summary
Among the various self-powered power generators [2,3], thermoelectric generators (TEGs) are ideal, maintenance-free power generators that can directly convert the temperature difference between the human body and the external environment into electrical energy, without mechanical vibration [4,5]. The conversion efficiency of TEGs depends on the thermoelectric material. Thermoelectric materials are a kind of functional material that can convert thermal and electrical energy into each other. The key parameter that is used to describe the thermoelectric properties of the material is the thermoelectric optimum ZT = S2 σT/κ, where S, σ, κ, and T are the Seebeck coefficient, electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, and thermodynamic temperature, respectively [8].
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