Wearable Thermocells Based on Gel Electrolytes for the Utilization of Body Heat.

Abstract

Converting body heat into electricity is a promising strategy for supplying power to wearable electronics. To avoid the limitations of traditional solid-state thermoelectric materials, such as frangibility and complex fabrication processes, we fabricated two types of thermogalvanic gel electrolytes with positive and negative thermo-electrochemical Seebeck coefficients, respectively, which correspond to the n-type and p-type elements of a conventional thermoelectric generator. Such gel electrolytes exhibit not only moderate thermoelectric performance but also good mechanical properties. Based on these electrolytes, a flexible and wearable thermocell was designed with an output voltage approaching 1 V by utilizing body heat. This work may offer a new train of thought for the development of self-powered wearable systems by harvesting low-grade body heat.