Silk fabric-based wearable thermoelectric generator for energy harvesting from the human body

Abstract

The development of flexible thermoelectric (TE) power generators for harvesting energy from the human body has attracted significant interest in recent years. However, thus far, a wearable TE power generator based on commercially available fabrics has not been realized. In this study, nanostructured Bi2Te3 and Sb2Te3 were synthesized and deposited on both sides of a silk fabric to form TE columns. These TE columns were connected with silver foils to fabricate a prototype integrating an array of 12 thermocouples. The generator could effectively convert thermal energy into electricity in the temperature difference (ΔT) range of 5–35K. The maximum voltage and power outputs were ∼10mV and ∼15nW, respectively, with no significant change in both, during 100cycles of bending and twisting. Different voltage output profiles were collected from an arm-attached generator before and after 30min of walking, to highlight the immense potential of the silk fabric-based TE generator. This study provides a new approach for developing fabric-based TE power generators for practical applications in wearable electronics.