Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • News & Views
  • Published:

FLEXIBLE THERMOELECTRICS

Thermoelectrics that bend but don’t break

Sputtering brittle bismuth telluride onto webs of single-walled carbon nanotubes creates a reliably flexible, high-performance thermoelectric composite.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Fig. 1: Microstructure of Bi2Te3–CNT composites that exhibit high thermoelectric performance and robust mechanical flexibility.

References

  1. Qun, J. et al. Nat. Mater. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41563-018-0217-z (2018).

  2. Russ, B., Glaudell, A., Urban, J. J., Chabinyc, M. L. & Segalman, R. A. Nat. Rev. Mater. 1, 16050 (2016).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Lee, J. A. et al. Adv. Mater. 28, 5038–5044 (2016).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Guan, Y. S., Li, H., Ren, F. & Ren, S. ACS Nano. 12, 7967–7973 (2018).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Zhang, F., Zang, Y., Huang, D., Di, C.-a & Zhu, D. Nat. Commun. 6, 8356 (2015).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Yee, S. K., Coates, N. E., Majumdar, A., Urban, J. J. & Segalman, R. A. Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys. 15, 4024–4032 (2013).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Mahan, G. D. & Sofo, J. O. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 93, 7436–7439 (1996).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Goldsmid, H. J. Proc. Phys. Soc. 71, 633–646 (1958).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Mark D. Losego.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

M.D.L. receives research funding from, is entitled to sales royalty from, and owns a small equity interest in Thermo-Flex Technologies, Inc., a company that develops flexible TE products. This article could affect his financial status. The terms of this arrangement have been reviewed and approved by Georgia Tech in accordance with its conflict of interest policy.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Gregory, S.A., Losego, M.D. Thermoelectrics that bend but don’t break. Nature Mater 18, 3–4 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41563-018-0227-x

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41563-018-0227-x

Search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing