Back to Search
Start Over
Stretchable fabric generates electric power from woven thermoelectric fibers
- Source :
- Nature Communications, Vol 11, Iss 1, Pp 1-10 (2020), Nature Communications
- Publication Year :
- 2020
- Publisher :
- Nature Portfolio, 2020.
-
Abstract
- Assembling thermoelectric modules into fabric to harvest energy from body heat could one day power multitudinous wearable electronics. However, the invalid 2D architecture of fabric limits the application in thermoelectrics. Here, we make the valid thermoelectric fabric woven out of thermoelectric fibers producing an unobtrusive working thermoelectric module. Alternately doped carbon nanotube fibers wrapped with acrylic fibers are woven into π-type thermoelectric modules. Utilizing elasticity originating from interlocked thermoelectric modules, stretchable 3D thermoelectric generators without substrate can be made to enable sufficient alignment with the heat flow direction. The textile generator shows a peak power density of 70 mWm−2 for a temperature difference of 44 K and excellent stretchability (~80% strain) with no output degradation. The compatibility between body movement and sustained power supply is further displayed. The generators described here are true textiles, proving active thermoelectrics can be woven into various fabric architectures for sensing, energy harvesting, or thermal management.<br />Despite recent advances in flexible thermoelectric generators for wearable devices, current designs are unable to efficiently harvest heat flowing from human body. Here, the authors report high thermoelectric performance and stretchability in interlocked fiber-based modules for wearable devices.
- Subjects :
- Materials science
Science
General Physics and Astronomy
02 engineering and technology
010402 general chemistry
01 natural sciences
Article
General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
Thermoelectric effect
lcsh:Science
Wearable technology
Power density
Thermoelectrics
Multidisciplinary
business.industry
Thermoelectric devices and materials
Body movement
General Chemistry
021001 nanoscience & nanotechnology
Thermoelectric materials
Electrical and electronic engineering
0104 chemical sciences
Energy efficiency
Thermoelectric generator
Optoelectronics
lcsh:Q
Electric power
Devices for energy harvesting
0210 nano-technology
business
Energy harvesting
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 20411723
- Volume :
- 11
- Issue :
- 1
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Nature Communications
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....f19ce6b152d38a21c6e066f4185d5abe