Newby Samantha, Ahmed Md Raju, Mirihanage Wajira, Fernando Anura
Department of Materials, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, U.K.
ACS Omega. 2025 Aug 28;10(35):39706-39711. doi: 10.1021/acsomega.5c03186. eCollection 2025 Sep 9.
Wearable thermoelectric (TE) generators offer a sustainable solution for powering low-energy electronics by harvesting body heat. In this study, we report the development of fully screen-printable, solution-processed graphene inks exhibiting p- and n-type thermoelectric behavior for flexible textile applications. The inks were printed onto woven cotton substrates by using scalable screen-printing methods, forming all-graphene thermoelectric modules that retain textile flexibility and breathability. Electrical characterization demonstrated Seebeck coefficients of +34 μV/K. Under a modest temperature gradient of 40 °C, the TE textile device generated open-circuit voltages up to 5.24 mV with stable operation. The materials and device exhibited good adhesion, flexibility, and thermal response without requiring postprocessing or high-temperature annealing. This work presents a cost-effective, scalable, and environmentally benign approach to fabricating wearable thermoelectric systems, offering strong potential for powering flexible electronics, health monitoring sensors, and future energy-autonomous garments.
可穿戴热电（TE）发电机通过收集人体热量为低能耗电子产品供电，提供了一种可持续的解决方案。在本研究中，我们报告了用于柔性纺织品应用的、具有p型和n型热电行为的、完全可丝网印刷的溶液处理石墨烯油墨的开发。通过可扩展的丝网印刷方法将这些油墨印刷到机织棉基材上，形成保留纺织品柔韧性和透气性的全石墨烯热电模块。电学表征显示塞贝克系数为+34 μV/K。在40°C的适度温度梯度下，TE纺织器件产生高达5.24 mV的开路电压，且运行稳定。该材料和器件表现出良好的附着力、柔韧性和热响应，无需后处理或高温退火。这项工作提出了一种经济高效、可扩展且环境友好的方法来制造可穿戴热电系统，为为柔性电子产品、健康监测传感器和未来的能量自主服装供电提供了强大的潜力。
