The fabrication of a flexible thermoelectric generator (TEG) with both high power output and good flexibility has drawn considerable attention. Solution-processed inorganic nanocrystals have good processibility in interface to retain excellent electrical properties of nanocrystals and can be processed into thin films on a flexible substrate by an easy scale-up printing or coating method. However, a high-performance TEG device based on inorganic solution-processed materials also poses challenges when it comes to flexibility of the whole device. Herein, flexible planar TEG devices are fabricated by printing an ink mixture comprising solution-processed bismuth telluride (Bi₂Te₃) nanoplates with reduced-graphene oxide (rGO) nanosheets onto flexible polyimide substrates. The interface treatment by hot ethylenediamine and the appropriate amount of rGO contribute to the high electrical properties of the material. Also, when rGO nanosheets of 1% mass ratio are added, the optimum power output of the corresponding rGO/Bi₂Te₃ TEG device with six elements reaches ∼1.72 μW at a temperature difference of 20 K. Moreover, owing to the contribution from flexible rGO nanosheets, the suitable thickness of each element, and the artful connection of elements with a soft copper wire in the devices, the 1% rGO/Bi₂Te₃ TEG device was found to be robust, and its electrical resistance merely changes by 2% after bending 1000 cycles on 5 mm in bending. These inorganic-based TEGs with both high performance and good flexibility will promote the development of new generation energy devices in the field of flexible electronics.

中文翻译：

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基于还原氧化石墨烯纳米片和碲化铋纳米片溶液处理复合材料的高性能柔性热电发电机

具有高功率输出和良好柔韧性的柔性热电发电机（TEG）的制造引起了相当大的关注。溶液处理的无机纳米晶体在界面上具有良好的加工性能，保留了纳米晶体优异的电性能，并且可以通过简单的放大印刷或涂布方法在柔性基板上加工成薄膜。然而，基于无机溶液处理材料的高性能 TEG 设备在整个设备的灵活性方面也面临挑战。在此，柔性平面 TEG 器件是通过印刷包含溶液处理的碲化铋 (Bi ₂ Te ₃) 在柔性聚酰亚胺基板上具有还原氧化石墨烯 (rGO) 纳米片的纳米板。热乙二胺的界面处理和适量的rGO有助于材料的高电性能。此外，当添加质量比为 1% 的 rGO 纳米片时，对应的 rGO/Bi ₂ Te ₃ TEG 器件在 20 K 温差下的最佳功率输出达到 1.72 μW，具有 6 个元素。此外，由于来自灵活的 rGO 纳米片，每个元素的合适厚度，以及设备中元素与软铜线的巧妙连接，1% rGO/Bi ₂ Te ₃发现 TEG 装置坚固耐用，在 5 mm 弯曲 1000 次循环后，其电阻仅变化 2%。这些兼具高性能和良好柔韧性的无机基TEG将推动柔性电子领域新一代能源器件的发展。