Zhuo Sheng, Zhao Yu Dong, Liu Yan-Xin, Rong Yun, Ju Yi-Yi, Gu Lin-Feng, Chen Si-Qi, Wang Liang, Jiang Wangkai, Wang Zuo-Shan, Guan Ying-Shi, Fu Huiting, Chen Weifan, Zhuo Ming-Peng, Zheng Qingdong, Liao Liang-Sheng
State Key Laboratory of Coordination Chemistry, College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China.
School of Physics and Materials Science, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330031, China.
Natl Sci Rev. 2025 Mar 29;12(5):nwaf121. doi: 10.1093/nsr/nwaf121. eCollection 2025 May.
Solar thermoelectric generators (STEGs) that can effectively harvest solar energy and convert it into affordable electricity, provide a promising solution for self-powered wearable electronics and the Internet of Things (IoT). However, their electricity generation is often limited by the low thermal concentration or unstable temperature gradients in practical applications. Herein, we rationally designed an organic radical-activable charge-transfer (CT) cocrystal based on the open-shell radical electron acceptor of 2,6-dibromonaphthalene-1,4,5,8-tetracarboxylic dianhydride. The open-shell radical contributes to the strong near-infrared absorption and nonradiative recombination, resulting in a high photothermal conversion efficiency of 67.2% for the prepared CT cocrystal. Furthermore, the photothermal ink containing the radical-activable CT cocrystal and the transparent resin was successfully coated onto a thermoelectric generator as a cost-effective light absorber, facilely forming a high-performance STEG. Notably, the prepared STEG output a voltage of 143 mV under 1 sun irradiation, demonstrating real-time photodetection capability. We anticipate the potential applications of these cocrystals in self-powered optoelectronics, such as a non-contact and long-distance information converters.
太阳能热电发电机（STEGs）能够有效地收集太阳能并将其转化为价格合理的电能，为自供电可穿戴电子产品和物联网（IoT）提供了一个有前景的解决方案。然而，在实际应用中，它们的发电常常受到低热集中度或不稳定温度梯度的限制。在此，我们基于2,6-二溴萘-1,4,5,8-四羧酸二酐的开壳自由基电子受体，合理设计了一种有机自由基可活化的电荷转移（CT）共晶体。开壳自由基有助于实现强烈的近红外吸收和非辐射复合，使得所制备的CT共晶体具有67.2%的高光热转换效率。此外，含有自由基可活化CT共晶体和透明树脂的光热墨水被成功涂覆在热电发电机上作为一种经济高效的光吸收体，轻松形成了高性能的STEG。值得注意的是，所制备的STEG在1个太阳光照下输出电压为143 mV，展示了实时光检测能力。我们预计这些共晶体在自供电光电子学中的潜在应用，例如作为非接触式和长距离信息转换器。
