Abstract
III-V semiconductor nanowires have shown promise for thermoelectric applications, but their use in practical devices has conventionally been hindered by complex fabrication processes and device integration. Here, we characterize the thermoelectric properties of InAs nanowire networks directly grown on flexible polyimide plastic. The n-type nanowire networks achieve a high room-temperature Seebeck coefficient of −110.8 μV K–1 and electrical conductivity of 41 S cm–1, resulting in a thermoelectric power factor of 50.4 μW m–1 K–2. Moreover, the nanowire networks show remarkable mechanical flexibility with a relative change in resistance below 0.01 at bending radii below 5.2 mm. We further establish the thermoelectric performance of InAs nanowire networks on plastic using a facile proof-of-concept thermoelectric generator producing a maximum power of 0.44 nW at a temperature gradient of 5 K. The findings indicate that direct growth of III-V nanowire networks on plastic substrates shows promise for the development of flexible thermoelectrics applications.
Highlights
III-V semiconductor nanowires constitute a platform for rich physical phenomena with characteristics such as low electron effective mass, exceptional charge carrier mobility, as well as efficient light absorption and emission made possible by the direct band gap.[1]
We have recently shown that III-V semiconductor nanowires can be directly grown on flexible polyimide substrates using metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy (MOVPE).[20]
InAs nanowires were synthesized on polyimide in an MOVPE reactor using a vapor−liquid−solid (VLS) growth process reported earlier.[20]
Summary
III-V semiconductor nanowires constitute a platform for rich physical phenomena with characteristics such as low electron effective mass, exceptional charge carrier mobility, as well as efficient light absorption and emission made possible by the direct band gap.[1]. Conventional thermoelectric generators exploiting the effect consist of n- and p-type bulk semiconductor blocks, resulting in rigid and nonflexible devices. Their performance is limited in applications lacking a conformal contact between the heat source and the generator due to the resulting suboptimal thermal gradient, which leads to reduced power density. The importance of proper thermal contact is elevated in low-grade heat applications, such as medical sensors and similar wearable devices, where the available contact area is restricted and temperature gradients are small.[17,18] Introducing thermoelectric generators as power sources in such applications requires solutions combining high thermoelectric efficiency and a flexible form factor.[17,19]
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