Energy-harvesting from low-temperature environmental heat via thermoelectric generators (TEG) is a versatile and maintenance-free solution for large-scale waste heat recovery and supplying renewable energy to a growing number of devices in the Internet of Things (IoT) that require an independent wireless power supply. A prerequisite for market competitiveness, however, is the cost-effective and scalable manufacturing of these TEGs. Our approach is to print the devices using printable thermoelectric polymers and composite materials. We present a mass-producible potentially low-cost fully screen printed flexible origami TEG. Through a unique two-step folding technique, we produce a mechanically stable 3D cuboidal device from a 2D layout printed on a thin flexible substrate using thermoelectric inks based on PEDOT nanowires and a TiS₂:Hexylamine-complex material. We realize a device architecture with a high thermocouple density of 190 per cm² by using the thin substrate as electrical insulation between the thermoelectric elements resulting in a high-power output of 47.8 µWcm⁻² from a 30 K temperature difference. The device properties are adjustable via the print layout, specifically, the thermal impedance of the TEGs can be tuned over several orders of magnitudes allowing thermal impedance matching to any given heat source. We demonstrate a wireless energy-harvesting application by powering an autonomous weather sensor comprising a Bluetooth module and a power management system.

通过热电发生器（TEG）从低温环境热中收集能量是一种多功能且免维护的解决方案，用于大规模余热回收，并将可再生能源提供给物联网（IoT）中越来越多的设备独立的无线电源。但是，市场竞争力的前提是这些TEG的成本效益高且可扩展的制造。我们的方法是使用可打印的热电聚合物和复合材料来打印设备。我们提出了可大规模生产的潜在低成本全丝网印刷柔性折纸TEG。通过独特的两步折叠技术，我们使用基于PEDOT纳米线和TiS的热电油墨，通过在薄的柔性基板上印刷的2D布局，生产出机械稳定的3D长方体设备₂：己胺复合物。通过使用薄基板作为热电元件之间的电绝缘，我们实现了具有每平方厘米190的高热电偶密度的设备架构，从30 K的温差产生了47.8 µWcm ^- ²的高功率输出。可以通过打印布局来调整设备属性，特别是，TEG的热阻可以在几个数量级上进行调整，从而允许热阻匹配任何给定的热源。我们通过为包括蓝牙模块和电源管理系统的自主天气传感器供电来演示无线能量收集应用。