Lee Chia-Yu, Hong Shao-Huan, Liu Cheng-Liang
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National Taiwan University, Taipei, 10617, Taiwan.
Institute of Polymer Science and Engineering, National Taiwan University, Taipei, 10617, Taiwan.
Macromol Rapid Commun. 2025 Apr;46(8):e2400837. doi: 10.1002/marc.202400837. Epub 2025 Feb 2.
Polymer gel-based ionic thermoelectric (i-TE) devices, including thermally chargeable capacitors and thermogalvanic cells, represent an innovative approach to sustainable energy harvesting by converting waste heat into electricity. This review provides a comprehensive overview of recent advancements in gel-based i-TE materials, focusing on their ionic Seebeck coefficients, the mechanisms underlying the thermodiffusion and thermogalvanic effects, and the various strategies employed to enhance their performance. Gel-based i-TE materials show great promise due to their flexibility, low cost, and suitability for flexible and wearable devices. However, challenges such as improving the ionic conductivity and stability of redox couples remain. Future directions include enhancing the efficiency of ionic-electronic coupling and developing more robust electrode materials to optimize the energy conversion efficiency in real-world applications.
