Chemically Transformed Ag2Te Nanowires on Polyvinylidene Fluoride Membrane For Flexible Thermoelectric Applications

• Published in: Angewandte Chemie International Edition 2024-03, Vol.63 (11), p.n/a
• Main Authors: Kashyap, Ankit, Rawat, Divya, Sarkar, Debattam, Singh, Niraj Kumar, Biswas, Kanishka, Soni, Ajay
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Ag2Te nanowires; Electronics; Flexible components; flexible thermoelectric device; Membranes; Nanomaterials; Nanotechnology; Nanowires; Polyvinylidene fluorides; Power management; Silver compounds; surfactant free chemical transformation; Tellurides; Tellurium; Temperature gradients; Thermal conductivity; Thermoelectric materials; Thermoelectricity; ultra-low thermal conductivity; Wearable technology
• ISSN: 1433-7851; 1521-3773
• DOI: 10.1002/anie.202401234

Flexible thermoelectric devices of nanomaterials have shown a great potential for applications in wearable to remotely located electronics with desired shapes and geometries. Continuous powering up the low power flexible electronics is a major challenge. We are reporting a flexible thermoelectric module prepared from silver telluride (Ag2Te) nanowires (NWs), which are chemically transformed from uniquely synthesized and scalable tellurium (Te) NWs. Conducting Ag2Te NWs composites have shown an ultralow total thermal conductivity ~0.22 W/mK surpassing the bulk melt‐grown Ag2Te ~1.23 W/mK at ~300 K, which is attributed to the nanostructuring of the material. Flexible thermoelectric device consisting of 4 legs (n‐type) of Ag2Te NWs on polyvinylidene fluoride membrane displays a significant output voltage (Voc) ~2.3 mV upon human touch and Voc ~18 mV at temperature gradient, ΔT ~50 K, which shows the importance of NWs based flexible thermoelectric devices to power up the low power wearable electronics. A flexible thermoelectric generator is prepared from chemically transformed Ag2Te nanowires, which are prepared from tellurium nanowires, for low power wearable and flexible electronic devices.